Snow
by Jen1703
Summary: AU...Scott and Jean take a chance and let their friendship evolve into something more....*COMPLETE!* That's it, folks - it's finished! : )
1. Prologue

_I guess I should include the standard disclaimer stuff: X-men characters are not mine, blah blah blah…Don't sue me, blah blah blah…_

****

**_Prologue_**  
  
Jean had always loved the snow. From the time she was a toddler she'd been fascinated by it – by its pureness, the way it sparkled. Magical things seemed to happen when it snowed – the normal, everyday world was transformed into a veritable fairy land. It was the most beautiful thing in the world to Jean.  
  
Jean had introduced Scott to her favorite childhood ritual the second winter he'd been at the Xavier Institute. Well after midnight one night in late November, Jean tip-toed down the hall and into Scott's room.

"Scott," she whispered, shaking him gently. "Scott, wake up."  
  
"Huh – Jean? What's the matter? Are you ok?" he asked, afraid that she'd had one of her nightmares.  
  
"Shhh! I'm fine. Get dressed and meet me downstairs."  
  
"Why?" he asked, reluctant to leave the warmth of his bed.  
  
"We're going for a walk."  
  
"Why?"   
  
"Because it's snowing," she explained, her eyes sparkling. "It's beautiful out, Scott. Please come with me – I want to go for a walk. The world's different when it snows, it's…better somehow."

And because Scott was able to deny Jean nothing, the two of them spent an hour wandering around the Institute's grounds in the middle of the night. They threw snowballs, made snow angels, and just sat by lake watching the snow fall. Scott loved every minute of it.  
  
So began one of many long-standing traditions for Scott Summers and Jean Grey.  
  



	2. Chapter 1

**_Chapter 1_**

Jean was on a mission. She searched the rooms of the Institute one by one, until finally finding who she was looking for in the upstairs corridor.  
  
"Hey," she greeted Scott with a big smile. "I've been looking for you."  
  
"You found me," he replied, smiling back. "What's up?"  
  
"It's snowing," she answered simply, smiling and taking him by the hand.   
  


  
  
There was something magical about walking through a world newly blanketed in white. The snow seemed to absorb sound, resulting in an ethereal quiet. They walked in silence, save for the crunch of their boots in the snow. Jean's arm was linked through Scott's and she leaned against him gently, both for warmth and for the simple comfort of being with her best friend.  
  
"I miss this," she said softly, not wanting to break the spell.  
  
"Miss what?" he questioned just as softly.  
  
"_This_," she repeated, hugging his arm to emphasize her point. "I miss _us."  
  
Scott smiled down at her and disengaged his arm from hers, slipping it around her shoulders instead. "Me too. Life's gotten pretty weird. It seems like we never get to spend any time together anymore."  
  
They continued walking, Jean's arm curled around Scott's waist and her head resting lightly against his chest. "Sometimes I really wish it was still just the two of us here," she admitted. "Not that I don't love having everyone around – they're like family, and they're wonderful. But I miss how simple it used to be, y'know? Back when you were just Scott, my best friend, not Cyclops, leader of the X-men."  
  
"I'm still your best friend," he reminded her with a gentle squeeze.   
  
"I know, and I'm grateful for that," she said, then chuckled. "Really, you have no idea. I don't know what I'd do without you."  
  
"That's not something you'll ever have to worry about," he assured her.  
  
"Promise?"_

"I promise."  
  
"No matter what?" she pushed in a tone of voice that instantly raised Scott's suspicions.  
  
"Well sure," he said thoughtfully. "But it would depend on whether or not you could forgive me."  
  
Jean's confusion was the opening he was waiting for. He spun around, catching sight of the snowball Jean had telekinetically created as they'd been talking. He snatched it out of the air with one hand, and looped his other arm around her waist. Then he shoved the snowball down the back of her jacket, knowing from her shriek that at least some of it had made its way inside her sweater.  
  
"Son of a _bitch_!" she howled.  
  
Scott was laughing too hard to hold on to her as she frantically tried to reach the snow that was melting down her back. She unzipped her down jacket and threw it to the ground, and then un-tucked her sweater from the back of her jeans, hoping the snow would fall out as she hopped up and down. Scott finally regained enough control to wrap his arms around her again from behind, laughing into her hair.  
  
"I've known you too long, Red," he murmured with a grin. "Your sneaky ways are legendary, and I saw that one coming a mile away."  
  
"Oh you did, huh?" she challenged, spinning around so that she could see his face.  
  
She froze. She and Scott were mere inches apart, so close that his warm breath puffed against her face as he struggled to regain his hold on her. She'd been just as close to him on countless occasions, especially during training sessions, but it had never before caused butterflies to do cartwheels in her stomach. Her sudden stillness must have registered, because Scott pulled back far enough to look down at her face. What he saw in her expression she didn't know, but it caused his brow to furrow.  
  
"Jean –"  
  
"God, I'm freezing. Let's go inside for some hot chocolate," she said in an overly chipper voice, breaking free of Scott's hold to scoop up her discarded jacket. She looked back at him and saw that his confusion remained. She ignored it, instead grabbing his hand and dragging him back towards the mansion.  
  
She didn't notice the smile of comprehension that slowly appeared on Scott's face.   
  
  
*****  
  
  
The Xavier Institute's library was Jean's favorite room in the mansion, and she escaped to it whenever she had the chance. She was glad that the other students seemed to prefer doing their homework in their rooms, or in the common room downstairs. That meant that most of the time Jean had the library to herself.   
  
That was where Jean had chosen to sequester herself for the evening. She was curled up in an overstuffed arm chair, basking in the warmth of the grand fireplace. Her laptop computer sat open on the table next to the chair, her mostly-finished essay open on the screen. She was re-reading the last few pages of **_One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest_**.   
  
_This could have been my life_, she mused. _If the Professor hadn't saved me, I could have spent the rest of my life in an asylum._ The thought was sobering.   
  
She could sense Scott's approach before he actually appeared. Jean could feel his nervousness washing off him in waves, but also his determination. He was also projecting, and she could clearly hear him thinking, *You can do this. You can do this. It's not a big deal.*   
  
When he entered the library, he walked purposefully towards her and stopped directly in front of her. She smiled and opened her mouth to greet him, but he cut her off.   
  
"Go on a date with me."  
  
Jean stared at him in stunned silence, not believing he'd actually said what she thought he had.   
  
"What?" she squeaked, unable to form a more eloquent reply.  
  
Scott took a deep, calming breath. "I'd like to take you out. On a date. A _real_ date."  
  
She was so surprised, all she could do was blink.  
  
"Friday night. Dinner and a movie," he elaborated.  
  
Jean blinked again, and opened her mouth only to discover she couldn't speak. She closed her mouth again, and then opened it with the intent of saying _something. But no words would come. She was sure she looked rather ridiculous.  
  
Scott didn't waiver. He continued to stand less than two feet away, staring down at her.   
  
"Ok." Jean could have sworn that was her voice she heard, but didn't remember speaking. But from the grin that lit up Scott's face, she knew she had, in fact, just agreed to go on a date with him.   
  
"Great," he announced, his relief evident in his voice. "We'll leave here at 7:00."  
  
"Ok," she said again, at a total loss.  
  
He was beaming. " 'K. I'll let you finish up your paper, then. G'night, Jean."  
  
Jean stared at his retreating form and as he closed the door behind him, she finally managed to say, "G'night."  
  
What the hell had just happened? Had she really just agreed to go out on a __date with Scott Summers? He was her best friend – what was she thinking? For that matter, what was __he thinking, asking her out in the first place?  
  
"I don't understand what just happened here," Jean muttered to herself, shaking her head in disbelief.  
  
She'd had what she referred to as a "revolving crush" on Scott since they'd met. It would materialize at the oddest times and then disappear. Then it would reappear, turn her world upside down for a few weeks, and disappear again. She was so used to it after more than five years that she hardly paid it any attention anymore. She'd suspected once or twice that Scott might be dealing with the same feelings towards her, but he'd never made a move.  
  
_Until now,_ she reminded herself.  
  
Jean had always regarded her feelings for Scott as the result of simply desiring the familiar – the safe person you know will always be there for you. They'd been through so much together that it would be natural for them to be drawn to each other. Except that little incident in the snow the other day had gotten her thinking again, and she'd been reevaluating her feelings. Sure, she'd entertained the possibility of dating Scott, especially since her breakup with Duncan (and what she'd ever seen in him, she'd never know). She just never thought that Scott would be interested in dating _her_.   
  
_Guess that shows how much I know,_ she told herself._

~~

**_Feedback welcomed with open arms!_**


	3. Chapter 2

**_Chapter 2_**

When the number of students attending the Institute grew to the point that it no longer made sense to conduct group hand-to-hand combat sessions, Logan had paired off the students for more intensive, customized workouts. Scott and Jean had been teamed up because Logan knew they were the most evenly matched due to the number of years they'd already spent training under him.   
  
It was Wednesday morning, which was Scott and Jean's turn for training. Scott entered the gym to find Jean already pounding a punching bag. She alternated kicks and punches, practicing the kick-boxing moves that they had been working on. She didn't notice him enter, and he assumed she had found her zone.  
  
"You're down here early," he greeted as he walked past her to pick up his equipment from the bench. Jean spun around to face him, eyes wide with surprise, breathing heavily from her workout.  
  
"Don't _do_ that," she scowled at him, wiping the sweat from her brow. "You scared the hell out of me."  
  
He offered her a lopsided grin as an apology. She just rolled her eyes at him and turned back to the bag. Scott started stretching, watching her pound the punching bag with a little more aggression than he was used to seeing from her.  
  
"Punishing it for something?" he teased.  
  
She grunted at him in reply.  
  
She kept at it, and from the way the bag was swinging wildly and creaking on its chain, she was obviously putting some telekinetic force behind her punches.  
  
"Jesus, Jean, take it easy. What did that bag ever do to you? Or are you pretending that you're laying into someone in particular?"  
  
From the glare she shot him he had pretty good idea who she was pretending to beat on. Scott sighed.  
  
"Ok, what did I do?" he asked, which earned him another withering glare. "Are you upset about last night?"   
  
The frenzy of punches stopped abruptly and she turned to face him, hands on her hips. "And whatever would make you think _that?" she asked, sarcasm dripping from her words.  
  
"All I did was ask you out, Jean."  
  
"_All_ you did was ask me out? That's the _point_, Scott! Where the hell did that come from? It was the last thing I was expecting you to do! You ambushed me!" she shouted in exasperation.  
  
"What do you mean, it was the last thing you expected me to do?"  
  
"I _mean_ I didn't think you were interested in me _that_ way. We've always just been friends. Dating never entered the equation. Your question came totally out of left field."  
  
Scott regarded her for a moment, mulling over his reply in frustration. "I thought that I'd made it pretty obvious I was interested in you. I dunno, weren't you tipped of by the fact that I was so jealous of Duncan I wanted to kill him?" he snapped back at her.  
  
She looked as if she'd been slapped. "What are you talking about? I knew you didn't like him, but I didn't think you were jealous of him. I thought you were just watching out for me."  
  
Scott looked at her in disbelief and barked out a laugh. "God, Jean, you are so naïve sometimes it's scary. I've wanted to ask you out for __years. I just never thought you'd say yes."  
  
She blinked at him, at a complete loss for words. Scott smirked. He'd managed to render her speechless more times in the past 12 hours than in the past six years. He was rather proud of himself.  
  
She finally found her voice. "Really?"  
  
He looked at her skeptically. "You honestly didn't know?"  
  
She shook her head mutely.  
  
He laughed derisively. "Then you're probably the only one in the Institute, or at school for that matter, who didn't know. My feelings for you are a well-known fact – and a popular topic of conversation among our friends."  
  
"And you didn't see fit to tell _me_?" she asked indignantly.  
  
"I thought you knew, Jean! I just thought you were choosing to ignore it."  
  
She chewed on that for a minute. "Ok, then why now? Why, all of a sudden, did you decide to ask me out?"  
  
He shrugged, not quite sure himself. "It was a combination of things. Like the fact that I was just sick to death of not saying anything. And the fact that I wasn't prepared to watch you get involved with another guy without telling you how I felt -"  
  
"Wait a minute, what other guy? I haven't been seeing anyone."  
  
"No, but I figured it would only be a matter of time. There isn't a shortage of guys at Bayville High who would like the chance to date you."  
  
That made her blush.  
  
"And then there was the other day, out in the snow," Scott told her, lowering his voice to a more intimate level, taking a couple of steps towards her. "I thought I saw something in your eyes, in the way that you looked at me....I thought that maybe you were beginning to feel the same way about me."  
  
They locked eyes, and neither could look away. "If you don't want to do this, Jean, then tell me now. We'll pretend this conversation never happened, and we'll go back to just being friends. I've told you before; I'll always be your best friend, so you don't need to worry about that. I just need to know what you want."  
  
He held his breath, waiting for her to answer. Finally she smiled shyly, and he thought he'd faint from the relief.   
  
"I want to see where this goes," she told him softly, and admitting it to herself for the first time. "I...I think we owe it to ourselves. We owe it to our friendship."  
  
Scott grinned at her.  
  
That's how Logan found them, standing a few paces apart, smiling at each other. He looked at them suspiciously.  
  
"What're you up to?" he growled at them.  
  
"Nothing," they replied instantly, in perfect unison. They'd turned to look at him when he'd spoken, wearing twin expressions of innocence – looks that they'd perfected within days of meeting each other. Logan knew that could only mean one thing – trouble. Then they looked back at each other and burst out laughing.  
  
"Yeah, right," Logan muttered under his breath, eyeing them warily.   
  
  
_

  
*****  
  


  
  
"Hey, Scott, wait up!"   
  
Scott turned around to see Kurt jogging down the hall towards him, dodging open lockers and groups of students.  
  
"Some of us are planning on going to the all-night movie marathon at the Majestic Friday night," Kurt told him. "Wanna come?"  
  
"Can't," Scott said simply.   
  
"What, have you got a hot date or something?" Kurt teased.  
  
"Something like that," Scott agreed, unable to keep the smile off his face. Kurt noticed immediately.  
  
"Wait a minute, you do have a hot date, don't you?" Kurt accused.  
  
"Who's got a hot date?" Evan asked as he approached, having overheard Kurt's comment.  
  
"Scott does, and he didn't tell us," Kurt said, the hurt evident in his voice.   
  
"Hey, way to go, man!" Evan cheered, punching Scott's arm. "Who's the lucky lady?"  
  
Scott's face split into a huge grin, and he looked away.   
  
"No way," Kurt gasped in amazement as comprehension hit. There was only one girl who could be responsible for the look on Scott's face. "You're going on a date with _Jean_?"   
  
"_Jean_? Like, _our Jean? The tall pretty redhead you've had the hots for, like forever? Way to go, dude!" Evan laughed, high-fiving the older boy.  
  
"And it's a real date?" Kurt asked, still surprised.  
  
"Yup. I asked her last night."  
  
"That's awesome!" Kurt exclaimed. From Kurt's first day at the Institute, he'd watched Scott pine over Jean, and it made him very happy to know that the two of them were finally getting their acts together.   
  
Scott spotted Kitty and Rogue approaching, and desperately tried to make an escape before Kurt could fill them in on the conversation. But Kurt had other ideas, and grabbed hold of Scott's arm to prevent him from running.   
  
"You're _kidding_!" Kitty squealed when Kurt told her the news.  
  
"Why are y'all acting so surprised?" Rogue asked, looking supremely bored and unimpressed. "Hell, we knew it was just a matter of time before they hooked up."  
  
"I think it's, like, totally cool!" Kitty gushed, giving Scott a quick hug. "You're, like, _so_ perfect for each other. Oh, this is gonna be __so great!"  
  
Scott tried unsuccessfully to suppress his smile. He was just too damn happy to care._

~~

**_Feedback much appreciated!_**


	4. Chapter 3

**_Chapter 3_**

When Jean's alarm went off Friday morning, she groaned and reached out with her telekinesis to hit the snooze button.  
  
_Thank God it's Friday_, she thought as she rolled onto her back and stretched. Her eyes shot open. _Oh my God, it's Friday. Tonight's my date with Scott. She scrunched her eyes shut as her stomach lurched with what she could only assume was nerves. _How am I gonna get through school today? At this rate I won't be able to focus on anything._  
  
By the time she made it downstairs, the rest of the students were heading out the door.   
  
"Like, hurry up, Jean," Kitty called as Jean raced past her and into the kitchen to grab breakfast to go. "Scott's waiting for us!"  
  
"I'm coming, I'm coming," Jean muttered. "Go on out. Tell him I'll be right there."  
  
Jean scoured the kitchen in search of a quick breakfast, resigning herself to raiding Kurt's supply of sugar.   
  
"Cold chocolate Pop Tarts it is," she announced to herself as she hurried back through the mansion, stopping only to shrug on her jacket, and rushed out the front door.  
  
Scott was watching for her as she burst through the door and down the steps. His one eyebrow arched in amusement at her frazzled state.   
  
"I know, I know, I'm sorry," Jean told Scott before he could say anything. He just smirked and shook his head as she buckled herself into the passenger seat.  
  
She glanced at him out of the corner of her eye, amused at his response. "Just shut up and drive, all ready." And he did. But he was still smiling.  
  
_

  
The day passed in a blur. Every time Jean glanced at the clock, it told her that she was _that_ much closer to Date Time. By the time 3:30 rolled around, she was a nervous wreck. She could hardly even look at Scott on the drive back to the Institute. Luckily, Kitty and Kurt kept the conversation lively.   
  
"So, Jean. Like, any cool plans for the weekend?" Kitty asked.  
  
Jean's eyes widened and she stared straight ahead, sinking a little lower in her seat. She didn't have a clue how to answer.  
  
"_Ja_, any big dates or anything?" Kurt joined in.   
  
Then Kitty giggled.  
  
"You _told_ them?" Jean turned on Scott with a yelp, shocked that he had shared that information about their personal lives.  
  
He glanced at her and shrugged, as if to say, "So?"  
  
Jean closed her eyes and let her head fall backwards against the head rest. She sighed, resigning herself to her fate. "Fine. Yes, Scott and I are going on a date tonight. Is that what you wanted to hear me say?"  
  
More giggles from the back seat.   
  
"_Ja_, that pretty much covers it."  
  
"Like, don't worry. We think it's totally cool that you're going out together."  
  
"I'm so glad you approve," Jean grumbled. Scott chuckled. "Mr. Summers, would you like to share with the rest of the class what it is that you find so amusing?"  
  
"No, that's ok. Thanks, though," he replied smugly, a grin firmly set on his face.  
  
"You're far too pleased with yourself right now," Jean told him sourly.  
  
He just grinned wider.  
  
  
*****  
  
  
"What am I going to wear?" Jean asked aloud, staring at her closet. When the perfect outfit failed to reveal itself, she let herself collapse backwards onto her bed.  
  
_This is one of the reasons I hate dating,_ she said to herself. _There are too many stupid things to worry about.  
_  
Contrary to popular belief, both at school and around the Institute, Jean didn't have a lot of dating experience. For some reason, people had the impression that Jean had dated lots of guys, when in reality she'd only gone out on a handful of dates before settling into a pseudo-relationship with Duncan. She found it a lot easier to stay with one guy she sort of liked than to "play the field", as so many of the girls at school preferred to do. In fact, she'd only even kissed two boys, Duncan being one of them.  
  
The first had been a horrible experience that she'd prefer to forget. She'd been a sophomore, and had befriended a boy in her math class – a cute junior named Chris. When he asked her to a school dance some months after they'd met, she said yes. It was her first date.  
  
The night didn't go nearly as well as she'd hoped. She was inexperienced and shy, and he had certain expectations going into the date that had never even occurred to her. They spent very little time at the dance itself – instead they spent the evening in a quiet park close to the school. As nice and as cute as Chris was, though, she could tell early on that there wasn't a spark between them. But curiosity got the better of her, so she let the date continue. When he put his arm around her, she didn't protest. When he leaned in to kiss her, she let him; it wasn't anything like she thought it would be. She thought maybe she just wasn't doing it right, so she let him kiss her some more, and it didn't get any better. He suckled on her neck, and she found it annoying. When his tongue entered her mouth, she thought she was going to gag. He grabbed her breast, and she bit his tongue – hard. He thought it was a rough form of foreplay, and got even more excited. When he reached up under her skirt, she kneed him in the groin.   
  
Jean had left Chris in the park, doubled over in pain and cursing her. She walked back to the school and called Scott to come pick her up. On the way home she'd told him what happened, and she'd started crying – partly from shame and partly from shock. Scott pulled the car over and spent the better part of an hour comforting her.  
  
By the next Monday the whole school had heard Chris's version of the story – that he'd "de-virginized" Jean in the park the night of the dance, and that she'd been such a lousy lay that he'd dumped her. Scott beat the crap out of him and got suspended for a week.  
  
It was because of that bad experience that Scott was so worried when Jean started seeing Duncan. He was watching out for her because he didn't want Jean to get hurt. So he'd scowled at Duncan and grumbled about him, telling Jean that she could do a lot better. He was overprotective and overbearing, but Jean didn't mind all that much – that's just what best friends do for each other. Until his admission the other day she hadn't known it was because Scott had been jealous. She'd been the same way when Scott started seeing Taryn. At the time Taryn was a good friend of Jean's, but that didn't mean Jean thought she was good enough for Scott.  
  
_Maybe it just makes sense that Scott and I would end up together,_ Jean thought. _They always say that the best relationships develop from friendships.  
_  
She sighed. She supposed she'd know after tonight.

~~

**_Feed me, please – I need feedback!_**  
  



	5. Chapter 4

**_Chapter 4_**

"Are you nervous, or something?" Kurt asked as he watched Scott pace restlessly. Scott was waiting in the common room, killing time before his date with Jean was to officially start; Kurt was simply there as moral support.   
  
Scott glanced at the younger boy and half-smiled. "Yeah, or something."  
  
"Well, you shouldn't be. This isn't really even a date," Kurt said.  
  
"What's that supposed to mean?" Scott snapped.  
  
"Whoa, relax, Scott. What I mean is that the purpose of a date is to get to know someone, to see if you're compatible, right?" Kurt explained patiently. "Well, you and Jean are way past that point. You already know each other better than most couples, and you know you're compatible. To borrow a line from an episode of 'Friends' that was on the other night, it's like you're starting at the twelfth date."   
  
Scott's brows furrowed as he pondered that possibility.  
  
"See? The pressure's off," Kurt announced with a big smile. "The only thing left to worry about is when you're going to kiss her."  
  
Scott blanched at the thought. "Oh, God."   
  
"What's the matter? You _do_ want to kiss her, don't you?" Kurt asked, clearly confused.  
  
"Of course I do," Scott answered. "I just hadn't given the timing any serious thought. I didn't think it was anything I'd have to worry about for a while. But now....I just don't know if I'll have the guts to do it."  
  
"Well, how long did you wait before you kissed Taryn?"  
  
"I didn't have much say in the matter – _she kissed _me_ the first time."  
  
Kurt chuckled at that. "Well, maybe if you're lucky Jean will make the first move this time, too."  
  
"Doubtful. She's not like that."  
  
"How do you know?" Kurt challenged.  
  
"Because I know her, Kurt. She's not the forward type."  
  
"Maybe not with other guys. But she has a very different relationship with you than she's had with any of the other guys she's gone out with. You never know," Kurt finished with a grin.  
  
Scott didn't reply, busy playing out different scenarios in his mind. He was so preoccupied that he didn't notice Logan saunter into the room and drop onto the sofa.  
  
"It's Friday night, don't you kids have anywhere to be?" he asked, commandeering the remote control and surfing the channels.  
  
"I'm meeting the others at the Majestic later on. I'm just keeping Scott company until he leaves on his date," Kurt explained, missing the sharp look that Scott shot his way.  
  
"Getting a little action tonight, huh, kid?" Logan said to Scott, only half-teasing. "Shouldn't you be picking her up, or somethin'?"  
  
"He doesn't have to. He just needs to wait for her to come downstairs."  
  
"Kurt," Scott said in a quiet, warning tone, implying for the boy to be quiet.  
  
"Whaddya mean, 'come downstairs'?" Logan asked, suspicions raised. "Who, exactly, are ya goin' on this date with?"  
  
"Jean," Kurt replied, ignoring Scott's glare.  
  
Logan turned to pin Scott with a look that would have caused a lesser man to cringe in terror. Unfortunately for Logan, Scott knew him well enough that it didn't have the desired effect.   
  
"Yer taking Jeannie on a __date," Logan repeated, not making it a question.  
  
Scott's jaw hardened and his lips thinned in defiance. "Yes."  
  
Logan growled. "Like hell you are."  
  
"Why do you think you have any say in this?" Scott challenged.  
  
"I don't _think_ I have any say, I _do_."  
  
"That's bullshit, Logan, and you know it."  
  
"No, kid, it's a fact. I'm tellin' ya, yer not taking Jeannie on a date, and that's it."  
  
"Forget it. Your scare tactics aren't working on me. Why are you giving me such a hard time about this? She's gone out on other dates and you haven't said anything."  
  
"I've had a _conversation_ with every punk-ass who's ever come to pick her up," Logan informed him, his steely gaze never leaving Scott's face. "They were warned not to try anything or they'd find themselves strung up by their balls."  
  
"Jean would kill you if she ever found out you pulled that shit."  
  
Logan shrugged. "Sure, she'd be pissed. But a long time ago I promised to look out for her, and that's what I'm doing. I know what guys are thinking when they look at her, what they want from her," Logan told him then motioned at Scott with his chin. "Yer no different – ya want the same thing. It's my job to make sure ya don't get it. So go tell her that the date's off."  
  
Scott stared at the older man in stunned silence.   
  
"No," he finally said.  
  
"_No_?" Logan repeated, as if unsure he'd heard right.  
  
"You heard me," Scott said. "I'm taking Jean out tonight, and there's nothing you can do about it."  
  
Logan opened his mouth to respond, but shut it as Jean entered the room.   
  
"Hey," she greeted everyone. Then she smiled softly as Scott. "You ready to go?"  
  
Scott didn't even spare Logan a glance. "Absolutely," he said, returning her smile.   
  
"See you guys later," Jean called over her shoulder as Scott guided her out of the room.  
  
Kurt glanced at Logan. Logan's hands were clenched into tight fists, and he was growling softly.   
  
"Well, I'm off. Later!" Kurt said quickly before __bamfing out of the mansion._

  
  
"Is everything ok?" Jean asked Scott as they walked out to his car.  
  
"Sure, why?"  
  
"Logan didn't look too happy, and I thought that I'd heard raised voices before I came in," she told him.  
  
Scott debated telling Jean the whole story, but settled on the _Cliff's Notes version. "Logan's not too pleased that we're going out tonight," he admitted with a tight smile.  
  
"What? Why?" she asked, clearly surprised.  
  
"He doesn't think my intentions towards you are honorable," Scott told her with a smirk.   
  
"He _what_?" Jean demanded, stopping in her tracks.  
  
"He's just watching out for you, Jean," Scott explained, knowing it was the truth.  
  
"Who does he think he is, my father?"  
  
"I just think he still sees himself as your self-appointed protector. That's the role he adopted when you first came to the Institute, so he's been playing the part for a long time. I'm sure it's hard for him to accept the fact that you're not a ten-year-old little girl anymore - that you don't need him the way you did back then."  
  
Jean sighed, knowing that Scott was right. "I'm still gonna give him a piece of my mind," she promised.  
  
Scott opened the car door for Jean and helped her inside. He got in on his side, and took a deep breath. _Here we go._ _

~~

**_Feedback is welcome!_**


	6. Chapter 5

**_Chapter 5_**

_Jack & Jill's_ was one of the more popular restaurants in the Westchester area. It offered great food and boasted a fun atmosphere – the red checked cloths were almost completely covered with brown packing paper, and a glass filled with crayons sat on each table beside the salt and pepper shakers. It was the kind of place where the staff knew the regular customers by name, and the students from the Xavier Institute were regulars.  
  
"Hey guys! How many of you are there tonight?" the hostess, a woman named Gayle, greeted Scott and Jean as they entered the restaurant.  
  
"Just us," Scott replied with a small smile, and Gayle's eyebrows arched knowingly.  
  
"Don't tell me you two are on an actual _date," she teased, watching in amusement as Jean blushed almost as red as her hair. "Well, all I can say is that it's about time. You two kids are perfect for each other. Come on, I'll get you a nice quiet booth out of the way of the insanity."  
  
Jean and Scott followed Gayle as they weaved their way through the tables towards the back, Scott's hand on Jean's lower back, gently guiding her. It was a gesture he'd made a million times before, but tonight it seemed to have a different significance.  
  
"Here we are!" Gayle announced, setting the menus down on the table. "Hang up your coats, and have a great time. And Jean, keep an eye on this guy – don't let him get out of line," she added with a grin at Jean and wink in Scott's direction.  
  
Scott helped Jean out of her jacket and hung it with his on the coat rack beside their booth. The awkward silence that had filled the car on the ride to the restaurant reappeared after they'd place their orders with the waiter. Finally, Jean couldn't take it anymore. She looked at him across the table, trying to meet his eyes behind his glasses.   
  
"This is stupid," she stated.  
  
"What is?"  
  
"This. Why is this so weird? Why does it feel so strange for us to be out together? We've done stuff together a million times before when it's just been the two of us, and there was never this…this….this __tension. It's really starting to get to me."  
  
Scott nodded. "You're right, it's never been this awkward. It's amazing the difference one little word makes. As soon as we call it a date, we get stressed out."  
  
"Why do you think that is? Do you think it means we're making a mistake – that we shouldn't do this?"  
  
"No, I don't think that's it at all," he said, reaching across the table to take her hand. "I think it means that we're just not sure how to do this. There's a certain code of conduct around dating, and it's new for us to be applying that to _us_ – we've never had to worry about what to say or how to act around each other. Suddenly we're worrying about those things."  
  
Jean nodded silently, knowing that Scott was right. "Do you think it'll get easier?" she asked.  
  
Scott arched an eyebrow in amusement. "Are you already asking for a second date?"  
  
Jean blushed again and dropped her eyes, flustered. "Not if you keep that up," she murmured, glancing up to give him a mock-stern glare.  
  
Scott laughed and brought his other hand up in a Boy Scout salute. "I promise I'll behave," he told her, struggling to look serious.  
  
"Now, where would be the fun in _that_," she asked coyly, shocked even as she said the words.  
  
Scott's jaw dropped slightly and he laughed, amazed and thrilled that Jean was actually flirting with him.   
  
Jean blushed for what had to be the fifteenth time in the span of an hour, and snatched her hand out of Scott's grip. She buried her face in her hands and muttered, "Oh my god, I can't believe I just said that."  
  
Scott, for his part, was thoroughly enjoying himself, and couldn't keep the smile off his face.  
  
_

  
The tension between them seemed to disappear over dinner, and by the time they got to the movie theatre they had fallen back into the easy familiarity that was the trademark of their friendship. The only obvious difference between this and any other night they'd gone to the movies together was the fact that they were holding hands, fingers intimately intertwined.   
  
Scott waited in line to buy snacks while Jean went off to the washroom. When she returned to the lobby, she stopped in her tracks at the scene that met her. Duncan had cornered Scott, and from the expression on Scott's face, Duncan was saying something rather unpleasant.   
  
"I'm just telling you, Summers, you're wasting your time with her," Jean could hear Duncan saying as she approached them. "It took me six months to get half way to third base. I put in the time, and Jean never put out. She's a tease, and totally not worth the trouble."  
  
Jean was experiencing so many emotions, she couldn't isolate just one – she was embarrassed, furious, mortified, disgusted, shocked....but all of those emotions paled to the white-hot anger in Scott's expression. A muscle twitched along his clenched jaw, and she could see it was taking every ounce of self control Scott had not to rip into Duncan.  
  
*It's ok, Scott. Just ignore him,* Jean sent to Scott telepathically as she came to a halt behind her ex-boyfriend.   
  
"What's the matter, Duncan?" she asked sweetly. "Your ego still hurting because I dumped your sorry ass?" Duncan stared at her in surprise, unable to form an adequate come back. "C'mon, Scott, let's go get our seats," she said as she took his hand.  
  
Scott was silent as they entered the theatre and found seats near the back. Jean could tell he was still steaming over their encounter with Duncan, and she tried to put his mind at ease.  
  
"Scott, don't let him get to you. Duncan's a moron, we both know that," she told him, squeezing his hand in reassurance. Scott squeezed back, but didn't speak. She peered up at him. "Scott? Are you ok?"  
  
He sighed and nodded his head.  
  
"Yeah, right," Jean snorted. "C'mon, what's really bugging you?"  
  
Scott didn't respond right away, but his cheeks flushed. Finally, he said very quietly, "It just makes me sick to think of that _asshole touching you."  
  
Jean wasn't sure what to say. "Scott...it wasn't like that. He and I never...it never got that far, you know that - he told you as much," she stammered, embarrassed.  
  
"I know, but it still makes me want to kick him in the head."  
  
Jean stifled a laugh, and then decided to turn it back on him. "Well, what about you? Did you and Taryn ever...?" she trailed off, letting him fill in the blanks.  
  
Scott looked at her in complete shock. "What? No!"  
  
Jean shrugged. "Just curious. I figured if you knew that about my last relationship, I should know the same about yours."  
  
Scott took a deep breath, letting it out slowly. "No, not even close, Jean. Though not for her lack of trying," he continued with a smirk. "She was rather…_aggressive_."  
  
Scott heard Jean mutter something that sounded suspiciously like "slut" under her breath, and he tried unsuccessfully not to laugh. She glared at him, but then smiled as he gave her hand another squeeze.  
  
"So, what do you want to do after the movie?" Scott asked as they waited for the show to begin.  
  
"I hadn't really thought about it," she admitted. "Any ideas?"_

"I was thinking we could play it by ear, unless you had your heart set on something specific."  
  
"Let's play it by ear, then," she agreed.  
  


  
By the time the movie let out, it had started to snow. Scott ushered her into the car and started driving, ignoring her pleas to reveal where they were headed.

"You'll see," is all he said.  
  
"Oh, Scott, I love this place," she whispered as they finally pulled into an empty parking lot.   
  


"I know," he said simply, parking the car. He'd driven them to The Glen, a popular skating park boasting an ice path that meandered for miles among trees adorned with white twinkle lights. Tonight, the park was deserted.  
  


"I wish I'd brought my skates," Jean said as she followed Scott's example and climbed out of the car. She followed him around to the trunk, which he opened to reveal two pairs of ice skates.  
  
"I had Kitty grab them from your room this afternoon," he admitted sheepishly.  
  
"Good thinking, fearless leader," she told him with a grin. Jean looked up at the sky and smiled into the softly falling snow. "What a gorgeous night. This is just perfect, Scott. Thank you." 

Scott smiled at her, very pleased with himself for being able to make her so happy.  
  
"Let's go, Snow Queen," Scott teased, leading her towards the trail.  
  
They laced up their skates, and hobbled onto the ice where they spent a while getting accustomed to the feel of ice beneath their feet.

 "How're you doing?" Jean asked Scott.  
  
"Ok, I think. A bit wobbly, but it's all coming back to me."  
  
"Good," she said, executing a simple step-turn so that she was skating backwards, facing Scott. "You ready to race?" she asked impishly.  
  
"Anytime, anywhere, Red," he challenged, grinning back at her.   
  
"You're on. First one to the next bend wins," she called as she turned around and sped off, Scott a stride behind.  
  
When he was within reaching distance, he snatched the back of her jacket, hauling her backwards and propelling himself forward. Jean squeaked in dismay, but recovered quickly.

"You don't stand a chance," he said as he skated off ahead of her.   
  
"Dream on, Summers!" she replied as a burst of speed allowed her to pull ahead and reach the goal a half stride before Scott.  
  
"Ha! You lose!" Jean crowed, pointing at Scott and grinning widely. "The winner, and still champion, Jean Grey!" she announced as she did a little victory dance. Scott watched in amusement until she stopped her dance. He glided over to her and took her hand.  
  
"I'm feeling pretty lucky for a loser," he said softly. She smiled up at him, and they skated off down the trail, hand-in-hand, the snow swirling around them.  
  
They glided along the path, not talking, just enjoying each other's company. After a while, Scott glanced at his watch. "It's getting pretty late. Do you want to head back?"  
  
Jean shook her head, fat snow flakes fluttering from her hair. "Not especially," she replied, a dreamy quality to her voice.  
  
"Do you want to sit for a bit?" she asked a few minutes later, motioning to one the many park benches that lined the trail. Scott didn't answer, but steered her towards the edge of the ice, stepping carefully up onto the snow-covered ground. He took one of the gloves out of his pocket and used it to clear the snow off the bench.  
  
Scott and Jean sat close together, his arm securely wrapped around her shoulders, her head resting on his chest. Snowflakes fell lazily around them, sparkling as they caught the faint glow cast by the lights twined around the trees. Jean sighed contentedly and snuggled closer to Scott.

_This is the way things are meant to be_, she suddenly realized.  
  
"Thank you," she said quietly.  
  
"For what?"  
  


"Everything," she told him, knowing that he would understand.  
  
She pulled away from him slightly, and he looked down at her. The butterflies in her stomach started performing complex tumbling routines, rather than the simple cartwheels of the other day. She could feel her heart racing as she titled her head up and leaned towards him, her eyes half closed and her lips slightly parted. Scott leaned in and closed the distance between them, pausing ever so briefly before finally covering her lips with his.  
  
The kiss was sweet and slow and gentle, a tasting of each other. She felt weak; she felt electrified. His lips were so soft and melded with hers so perfectly she thought it must be a dream. 

With a sudden flash, thoughts and emotions started whispering through her mind. They came so quickly and were so jumbled that she wasn't sure which were hers and which were Scott's: Oh my God...Perfect...Better than I'd ever imagined...So beautiful...Never dreamed...Can't believe it...Completes me...Please don't stop...Magic...Never stop....So sweet...Never knew....Amazing...Wanted this forever…More.....

Scott cupped her jaw and trembled as he deepened the kiss, tentatively sliding his tongue into her open mouth. She kissed him back with enthusiasm, twining her fingers into his thick hair and drawing him closer. The kiss went on and on, for what felt like forever to Jean, and she realized that she _wanted_ it to go on forever. The feel of Scott's arms around her, the way their bodies were pressed together, their mouths devouring each other – everything was perfect, and she never wanted to stop. Eventually they slowed and reluctantly pulled apart, their foreheads together to maintain some contact.  
  
*_Wow_,* she sent to him.  
  
Scott chuckled, and Jean felt it as a deep rumble in his chest. "Yeah, _wow," he agreed, and took a deep steadying breath. _

"Did you hear all that too?" Jean asked softly.

Scott nodded, lightly stroking her cheek with the backs of his fingers. "What was it?"

"_Us_, our thoughts. We must have been projecting, reaching out to each other without realizing it. It allowed us to link for a moment."

"Has anything like that every happened before?"

She shook her head. 

"I'm sorry –"

"Don't be," she hurriedly reassured him. "I liked it."

Scott smiled softly. "Me too. Is it wrong of me to want to kiss you again?" he asked shyly.  
  
She giggled, and it quickly turned into real laughter. "No, it's not wrong at all," she told him, reaching up to caress his cheek. She brushed her lips across his softly, and he chased after her as she pulled away. "But I think we'd better not – not right now anyway. It could be dangerous," she added with a sly grin.

Scott heaved a grand melodramatic sigh, which earned him another smile from the girl in his arms. "Come on, Don Juan. We can cool off on the skate back to the car," she told him, sliding off the bench and holding out her hand to him.  
  


  
Back at the Institute, Scott and Jean decided to forage for a late night snack, reluctant to end the evening quite yet. Jean was reaching for the light switch in the kitchen when a voice growled at them from the darkness.  
  
"You two have fun?"  
  
Jean let out a little shriek of surprise and bumped into Scott as she jumped backwards. She flicked on the light to find Logan sitting at the table, glaring at them.  
  
"Jesus, Logan, don't you ever sleep?" Jean demanded, angry that he'd been able to startle her so easily.  
  
"Not until all the kids are home and tucked in bed – _alone," he said, the implication perfectly clear.  
  
"Logan!" Jean exclaimed, outrage and embarrassment battling for dominance. He had the decency to look repentant – sort of.  
  
"Darlin', go on upstairs so I can have a talk with Scott," he told her._

"You've got to be kidding! In case you missed it, Logan, I turned 18 on my last birthday. That means I don't need a babysitter anymore." Jean stood in the middle of the kitchen, hands on her hips. She glared at Logan, daring him to challenge her.  
  
"Now, look Jeannie," he began in what he meant to be a soothing tone, but it set Jean right off.

"Don't you _Jeannie_ me! You're totally out of line, and you damn well know it!"

Logan sighed and wiped his hand across his face. "Ya gonna help me out here, kid?" Logan asked Scott, who was leaning on the wall behind Jean, arms folded across his chest.  
  
"Hell no," Scott said simply.   
  
Logan growled and returned to his stare down with Jean. Finally his expression softened and he raised his hands in surrender. "Fine, I'm sorry. Yer right, I'm outta line," he admitted, much to Scott's surprise.  
  
Logan stalked out of the kitchen, glaring menacingly at Scott as he passed. The message was loud and clear: "This conversation isn't over."  
  
When they were alone again, Scott looked at Jean and offered her a lopsided smile. "I guess there's no question which of us is Logan's favorite," he quipped. 

~~

**_Feedback, please!  
  
_**


	7. Chapter 6

_Quick Author's Note: I have a new-found appreciation for the importance of reviews and feedback. I never used to bother to review stories or to send off a quick email to say how much I liked a particular fic. But I'm quickly discovering that feedback is more important to a writer than I ever would have thought. So a gazillion THANK YOU's to everyone who has been posting reviews or emailing me with comments about this story. Your feedback is what's keeping me going (writer's block is desperately trying to set in, but I'm fighting it), so keep it coming!  _: )

**_Chapter 6_**

A soft knocking on her bedroom door woke Jean Saturday morning. She rolled over and glanced at her alarm clock, which read a few minutes before 10 o'clock. The knocking sounded again, and Jean could hear soft voices chattering back and forth in the hall.

"Go 'way," Jean called, before burying her face in her pillow.

"Like, come _on_, Jean. Let us in," Kitty called back.

"Why can't we just leave her alone?" Rogue pleaded with Kitty in a tired sounding voice.

"Because it's, like, totally killing me – I've got to know what happened last night."

"Will you _please_ let me go back to sleep?" she shouted, exasperated.

"Like, no way – it's not _that_ early. Jean, please let us in. We just want to know how your date went," Kitty implored.

Jean growled resignedly and used her TK to unlock the door. At the soft *click* of the lock disengaging, Kitty burst into the room, dragging an embarrassed looking Rogue behind her.

"Sorry, Jean. Ah tried to make her leave ya alone," Rogue apologized and Kitty leapt onto Jean's bed and started bouncing up and down excitedly.

Jean smiled at Rogue to show her appreciation of her efforts, futile though they may have been.

"So? Like, spill!" Kitty ordered with a grin. Jean propped herself up against the headboard and glared at the younger girl.

"Spill what, exactly?" she asked, still annoyed at having her room invaded so early on a weekend.

Kitty rolled her eyes. "Yeah, like, right! What happened on your date last night? Where'd you go, what'd you do?"

Jean smiled in spite of herself. Kitty's excitement was somewhat contagious.

"We went for dinner, and then to a movie."

"And then?"

"What makes you think there was a 'and then'?" Rogue asked Kitty suspiciously.

"Because they, like, didn't get home until after 1:00, and the movie couldn't have been _that_ long."

"And then we went skating at The Glen. But since Scott had you steal my skates from my room yesterday, you probably already knew that."

"Ooooo – I love The Glen. It's, like, totally romantic!" Kitty squealed, ignoring Jean's accusation.

Now it was Rogue's turn to roll her eyes. "Ah'm sorry, but Ah don't see anythin' romantic about freezin' yer butt off while tryin' not to fall on it."

Jean laughed. She was really glad that she and Rogue had agreed to a truce – fragile though it may be. The girl had a wonderfully dry sense of humor when she chose to show it, and Jean was developing a deep sense of appreciation for it.

Kitty glared at Rogue, then turned hopeful eyes back to Jean. "And?"

"And what?" Jean asked innocently, knowing full well what Kitty wanted to know.

"And….? Did you….? Did he….?" Kitty asked leadingly.

Jean was determined not to make this easy for the other girl, so she sat in silence, watching Kitty with questioning eyes. Rogue snickered.

"Ugh! You can be, like, so frustrating sometimes!" 

Jean grinned mischievously, and Kitty gasped. "Oh my god, you did! You, like, totally kissed! I knew it!"

Jean blushed, but was unable to keep the smile off her face. "Ok, ok, ok," Jean said, holding up a hand to quiet Kitty. "Yes, we kissed."

Kitty squealed again and hurled herself into Jean's arms, hugging her happily. "Oh my god, this is _so_ cool! I'm, like, so happy for you guys," she gushed. "Was it a really good kiss?"

Jean blushed again and averted her eyes.

"Oh, from the looks of it, Ah'd say it was pretty good," Rogue teased.

Jean sighed, trying her damndest not to sound dreamy – but she failed miserably, and the other two girls started giggling uncontrollably. Even Jean couldn't keep from laughing at herself. Finally she regained her composure and considered how to answer Kitty's question. 

"It was…perfect," Jean finally said, her voice barely above a whisper. She unconsciously lifted her fingers to touch her lips, remembering the feeling of Scott's kiss.

"So are you, like, officially boyfriend and girlfriend now?" Kitty asked.

Jean blinked in surprise. "You know what? We never even discussed it," she admitted. "I mean, I would assume so, but I don't know for sure."

"If Ah were you, Ah'd make sure that got cleared up this mornin'," Rogue suggested with a smirk.

"Yeah yeah, I will. Now go find someone else to torment so I can get up and shower in peace," Jean ordered as she climbed out of bed and ushered the two younger girls out of her room. "I'll see you guys downstairs."

Jean sighed when she closed the door, and walked into her ensuite bathroom. The events of the night before kept playing out in her mind, and she couldn't stop smiling.

"Oh, you've got it bad, girl," she muttered to her reflection in the mirror. Her cheeks were pink and her eyes were literally sparkling. She couldn't ever remember seeing herself looking so completely _happy. Jean climbed into the shower, and still the grin wouldn't leave her face._

*****

"We hear your date with Jean went, like, really well," Kitty told Scott a while later. She was perched on the kitchen counter, munching on an apple.

Scott shot her a look, trying hard to keep from smiling. "Oh? Who told you that?"

"Your girlfriend," Rogue chimed in.

"My girlfriend?"

"Well, yeah. Aren't you two like, official now?" Kitty asked.

Scott pondered that for a moment. "I don't know," he admitted. "We didn't talk about it."

Rogue smirked. "That's pretty much what Jean said."

"But she said she, like, _assumed_ that you were," Kitty added.

"She did?"

"Who did what?" Jean asked as she entered the kitchen in search of breakfast. She glanced at Scott and smiled, blushing slightly. "Hey," she greeted him softly as she turned away, unable to hold his gaze.

"Kitty was just tellin' Scott that you assumed you and he were an official couple now," Rogue blurted out before running out of the kitchen, knowing Kitty would want to kill her.

"Oh, you, like, traitor!" Kitty squealed as she chased after her friend.

Scott chuckled as she girls disappeared down the hall. He turned to look at Jean, who was busying herself with the toaster, her back to him.

"So, are we?" he asked finally, uncomfortable with the silence that had descended on them.

"Hmmm?" Jean asked distractedly, not turning to look at him. Scott sighed in frustration and walked over to her, taking her arm to gently turn her in his direction. Before he realized what he was doing, he leaned down and kissed her soundly on the lips. After a half second of surprise that left her immobilized, she kissed him back. Her arms wound their way around his neck, his arms around her torso. He ushered her backwards a step so that he could gently lean her against the counter and press the length of his body against hers. They maintained the embrace for several long minutes before Scott finally pulled back and looked at her with a crooked grin.

"So now that we've gotten over the initial awkwardness of the post-first-date morning after, or so to speak, can we stop acting so weird?" he asked softly.

Jean giggled and nodded. "Yeah, I think so."

"Just one more thing before I let you go," Scott told her. Jean nodded for him to continue. "Are we officially a couple now?" 

She smiled and kissed him again. When she pulled away she smiled. "Yeah, I think it's safe to say we're officially a couple."

Scott grinned. "So, does that mean I get to kiss you like that anytime I want?"

She smacked his arm lightly. "Only within reason, Lover Boy," she teased. "We do have reputations to uphold, you know."

"Screw that. I was kind of hoping we could create new reputations for ourselves," he told her, waggling his eyebrows suggestively as he leaned in for another kiss. Jean giggled as she turned her head away just in time for his kiss to land chastely on her cheek.

"Y'know, if you keep up this reckless behavior, you're not going to be able to maintain your image as our conservative, uptight, anal retentive team leader. The others might realize that you not only know how to have fun, but that you can be downright crazy sometimes," she whispered conspiratorially, amusement flashing in her green eyes. 

"Yeah, just like they may finally figure out that you're not nearly the goody two-shoes some of the others think you are," he smirked.

She shot him a mock-offended glare. "And just what are you implying, Mr. Summers? I never get into trouble, and I never do anything I'm not supposed to do."

Scott snorted. "No, you're just lucky enough not to get caught."

"Po-tay-to, po-tah-to," she quipped with a wink, smoothly disengaging herself from Scott's embrace as the toaster dinged.

Scott leaned one hip against the counter and watched Jean spread peanut butter on her toast. "Any plans for today?" he asked.

She shook her head as she licked a glob of peanut butter off her finger. "You?"

"Nope. So, do you maybe want to just hang out together?"

"There's a thought," she grinned at him. "But I have another idea. Why don't you, Evan and Kurt meet me and the girls outside in, say, an hour and a half?"

He looked at her suspiciously. "Why?" he asked slowly.

"Have you looked out the window? It snowed a ton over night. I thought it would be fun for us to act really immature and build snowmen, or something like that," she replied, waving a careless hand in the air at his distrust of her. He folded his arms across his chest and stared at her, his doubt clearly etched on his face.

"Scott, what's wrong? Don't you trust me?" she asked, innocent eyes beseeching.

He smirked. "I _know_ you, Red, and I know you're up to something. But, if it'll make you happy, we'll meet you girls outside."

She flashed him a breath-taking smile, and he knew that no matter what happened, it would be worth it if she looked at him that way again. 

~~

**_Feedback is my drug – help support my habit!_**


	8. Chapter 7

**_Chapter 7_**

When the boys finally made their way outside, the scene that met them stopped them dead. There were a half dozen barricades – shields, Scott suspected – scattered across the Institute's grounds; they were made of hard-packed snow, and stood about four-and-a-half feet high and more than six feet wide. The girls were nowhere to be seen.

"Oh crap," Evan muttered, surveying the area in front of them.

"I knew she was up to something," Scott said aloud, more to himself than to the others. 

"Ahlright boys, these are the rules," Rogue's disembodied voice called from somewhere across the yard.

The boys listened nervously, waiting for her to continue. Suddenly she stepped out from behind one of the shields and smirked at them.

"There _are_ no rules," she finished, refocusing her attention on a spot above the boys' heads. "Bombs away, Jean!"

All three boys snapped their heads back just in time to see a wall of snow rush towards them. Scott acted quickly and flipped his glasses up to blast it; but it was a largely ineffective move, leaving the boys covered head to foot in white powder.

"Ok, this means war," Kurt announced, bamfing to where Rogue had been standing seconds before.

Evan launched a couple of spikes, shattering the closest shields. "They can't launch a sneak attack if they don't have anywhere to hide," he grumbled.

Scott scanned the terrain before him, waiting for the next attack. Kurt and Evan had engaged Rogue and Kitty in a snowball war, but Jean had yet to appear. A snowball suddenly pelted the side of his head. He looked around sharply, but couldn't figure out where it had come from. Another one hit him, this time on the top of his shoulder. Confused, he glanced up and saw a half dozen snowballs hovering no more than three feet above his head; suddenly they dropped.

Scott threw himself to the ground and rolled out of the way, then stood to see if he could figure out where Jean was hiding.

"Jean, we need back-up!" Kitty screeched as she and Rogue hid behind one of the shields, desperately trying to form enough snowballs to keep their attackers a bay.

Scott watched in veiled amusement as the snow from the branch of a nearby evergreen tree lifted and floated towards the other two boys. He knew he had to find Jean now, while she was distracted, if he wanted to be able to take her by surprise. Finally he saw a flash of red peaking above a shield; he grinned victoriously and charged.

He tackled her from behind, making sure that he hit her at an angle that wouldn't really hurt her. She grunted as she hit the ground, and the pile of snow she'd been carrying with TK landed harmlessly several feet away from the other boys.

"You just don't know when to quit, do you?" Scott asked her, trying not to laugh as she struggled against him. "I thought you learned your lesson the _last_ time you tried a sneak snowball attack on me."

"Why are you acting so smug?" Jean asked with a smile, using her TK to shove him off her and pin him against the wall of snow she'd been using for cover. He was clearly surprised at the force behind the action. She got to her knees and put her face right up to his, nose to nose, meeting his eyes through his glasses. She flashed a predatory smile. "You boys are going _down." She left him pinned as she ran off, not even sparing him a backwards glance._

"Kitty! Rogue! Regroup!" Jean ordered as she ran across the field. Scott was released from her hold as she refocused her energy towards putting up a shield to protect her and the other girls from the snowballs being pelted at them.

"Daniels, Kurt, over here!" Scott hollered at the boys. They glanced at each other once before retreating to where Scott was holed up.

"What's the plan?" Evan asked the older boy. 

Scott shook his head. "I don't have one. But I'm working on it. Just give me a few seconds."

"We're at a total disadvantage," Kurt pointed out, shaking snow out of his hair. "With Jean on their side, they're going to kill us. She can just keep up a shield and the other two can attack." 

"Yeah. I mean, Kitty totally throws like a girl, and never even comes close to hitting her target, but it's still distracting," Evan added.

"I know, I know," Scott muttered, wracking his brain for a solution. 

"We've got to take out Jean," Kurt said in exasperation. "It's the only way."

"I already tried that," Scott told him.

"Then what do we do, man?" Evan asked nervously as a lone snowball arced through the sky and over the top of their barricade.

Scott sighed. "We hit them with everything we've got and hope for the best."

"That's _it_? That's your big plan?" Kurt yelped in dismay.

Scott ignored him, busying himself with the task of forming an arsenal of snowballs. The other boys exchanged a look and joined in, scooping up snow, packing it into a sphere, and piling the finished ammo in a pile. After several minutes they had a good supply. Kurt peeked his head around the corner of the snow shield, only to jump backwards to avoid having his head taken off by several snowballs that whipped by.

 "Ok guys, it's time to divide and conquer," Scott ordered. "Jean can only put up one shield, and you know she'll cover Kitty and Rogue instead of herself. Jean will be unprotected, so I should be able to take her out. When she drops the shield around the others, take them."

Evan and Kurt carefully stood up, trying to pinpoint the girls' location – then the snowballs started flying. Scott leaned around the barrier and blasted the remaining snow shields. He knew that with Jean's telekinetic shield they didn't need the others, but he hoped the blasting snow would act as a distraction. It seemed to work.

The boys charged from behind the wall, firing snowballs. As Scott predicted, Jean concentrated on shielding Kitty and Rogue as they pelted snowballs at the boys. She was so focused that she didn't see Scott sneak around behind her until it was too late.

"Jean!" Rogue shouted in warning just as Scott neared. 

Jean spun around and shoved Scott backwards, knocking him down. As Jean turned, Kurt and Evan made their move. Kitty and Rogue had been relying so totally on Jean's cover that they'd misjudged their opponents. The boys were on them before they knew it, knocking them down and pounding them with snowballs as they shrieked and held their arms in front of their faces in self-defense. Scott scrambled to his feet and tackled Jean once again to prevent her from helping her teammates. 

Kurt and Evan were cheering their victory as the girls surrendered. Scott lay half on top of Jean, grinning down at her. 

"I think that means we won," Scott laughed at her. Her face was a mixture of surprise and anger, though the anger quickly melted away.

"Yeah, well, just wait 'til next time," she grumbled as she gently pushed against his chest for him to move. He rolled off her and grinned again, eliciting a smile in reply. She stood up, brushed the snow off her jeans, and held her hand out to Scott to help him to his feet. He took her hand, and jerked her off her feet and back down into the snow. She landed on top of him with an "oomph".

He heard the other four hooting and hollering. "Kiss! Kiss! Kiss!"

Scott chuckled and Jean blushed, hiding her face in his chest. "Do you want to make them shut up?" he asked quietly, grinning at her.

She laughed and glanced over her shoulder at their friends who were watching expectantly. "I don't think we have much of a choice," she told him. She looked down at him and smiled before dipping her head down to meet his lips. The cheers were deafening. They held the kiss for a few seconds, and then broke apart when they could no longer keep themselves from dissolving into fits of laughter over their friends' reactions. Scott's head fell back into the snow, and Jean fell forward, with her face once again hidden in Scott's chest.  

"Ok, enough," Scott finally announced, trying to stop laughing. "Get off me, I'm getting soaked," he told Jean as he rolled her to the side. Scott stood, and he offered Jean his hand to help her up. She arched a skeptical eyebrow at him, but allowed him to gently pull her to her feet.

"You two are, like, so totally adorable together," Kitty said dreamily as she watched them.

The group started walking back to the mansion. Scott and Jean brought up the rear, holding hands and smiling.

~~

****

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	9. Chapter 8

**_Chapter 8_**

The weeks passed and Scott and Jean grew more and more comfortable with their new relationship. The other students still teased them, but the teasing was well-intended. Everyone seemed genuinely happy for them. 

There were, of course, a couple of exceptions. 

Logan continued to glare daggers at them anytime he saw Jean and Scott together. He barely spoke to Scott other than in training. Fortunately for Scott, Logan had recently been given an assignment that would take him away from the Institute for an extended period of time – possibly even months.

Professor Xavier watched the relationship develop between his favorite students with mixed emotions. He had a special place in his heart for Scott and Jean, as they were the Institute's first two students; in fact, they were responsible for the school's very existence. It had always been evident to him that Jean and Scott shared a bond that went beyond friendship, and that it had simply been a matter of time before that bond matured into morphed into romance. It still troubled him.

After dinner one night more than a month after Scott and Jean's first date, Professor Xavier summoned Scott to his study.

"Scott, I have been observing the changes in your relationship with Jean," the Professor began, elbows on his desk and fingers laced in front of him.

Scott waited for his mentor to continue.

"I must admit, I have some concerns," Charles said slowly.

"Sir?" Scott asked, confused.

"I am confident that you and Jean are very well matched, and that you will be able to make each other very happy. I am, however, concerned about how this may affect the team."

"I'm not sure I understand, Professor," Scott admitted.

Charles sighed and closed his eyes to collect his thoughts. "You are the leader of the X-men, Scott. You have responsibilities to everyone under your command. I'm concerned that your relationship with Jean could be cause for distraction in situations where she may be in danger."

"With all due respect, Professor, I disagree," Scott told him, jaw firmly set in defiance. "I worry about her already – I always have. Regardless of the nature of our relationship, she's the most important person in my life. That will never change."

"I understand that, Scott. I'm simply concerned that your focus and judgment will be compromised if you and Jean are involved romantically. I worry that you would try to protect her at all costs – including the lives of the other members of your team."

"Professor –" Scott choked out, deeply offended.

"Scott, please understand. That is not intended as an attack on your character. It is admirable to be willing to go to such lengths. I just worry about the possible implications."

Scott was silent, staring at the front of the professor's large mahogany desk.

"It is something to think about, that is all," Charles told him in a gentle voice. "Believe it or not, Scott, I would take great pleasure in seeing you and Jean happy together. But what would be the cost....?"

Neither spoke for a long moment. Finally Scott stood up and exited the room, leaving Charles alone. 

*****

"There you are," Jean announced triumphantly as she entered the library and saw Scott sprawled in one of the chairs in front of the fireplace. "What are you doing up here?"

"Waiting for you," he admitted without turning to look at her. "I figured it would only be a matter of time before you came up here to hide away for the evening."

Jean frowned at the tone of his voice. "Scott, are you ok?" she asked as she sat down in the chair next to his, curling her legs underneath herself and sitting sideways so that she could turn to face him. 

He kept staring at the fire.

"Hey," she said soothingly, reaching out to place her hand on his arm. "What's got you so upset?"

Taking a deep breath, Scott tried to find the words. "Professor X called me into his office tonight," he said in a low voice.

"What did he want to talk to you about?"

"You and me."

Jean was clearly surprised. "What about you and me?" she prodded.

Scott sighed in frustration. "He's _concerned that our relationship could make me mess up in the field," Scott said bitterly._

Jean absorbed that, chewing on her lower lip as she considered what he'd said. "Do you think it could?" she finally asked.

Scott turned his head sharply to look at her. "No! Of course not," he said emphatically.

"Are you sure? Because if I'm honest with myself, I've noticed that I make a point of looking out for you just a little more now in training sessions," she admitted.

"Really?" Scott asked, surprised.

"Of course," she replied with a self-deprecating chuckle. "It's only natural, don't you think? We've been more than a little…_preoccupied with each other for the past few weeks."_

Scott gave her a half-smile. "I guess you're right."

"But I don't think it'll always be like this," she reassured him. "The longer we're together, the less _new_ our relationship is, the better we'll be able to refocus on the other things in our lives."

He looked steadily at her, an eyebrow arched in amusement. "How'd you get to be so wise in the ways of relationships?" he teased.

She blushed. "Storm and I had a little girl talk the other day," she admitted. "I just needed some advice from someone older and much wiser."

"It sounds like it was an important conversation," he teased, taking Jean's hand and urging her to stand. When she was on her feet he tugged her down onto his lap. She landed with a giggle, not quite expecting to end up sitting on him. He wrapped an arm securely around her waist, preventing her escape.

"It was," she said with a smile. "Storm gives very sound advice."

"What did she tell you? Or is that for female ears only?" he asked as he gently nuzzled Jean's neck.

"Stop, that tickles!" Jean scolded him playfully, flinching away from him slightly. "And no, it wasn't a conversation for girls only. If you must know, I was concerned about how scattered I'd been feeling lately. It's been driving me crazy – all I seem to be able to think about is you," she admitted shyly.

Scott rewarded her admission with a grin that made her belly drop. "Really?"

Jean rolled her eyes and lightly smacked his chest. "Yes, really. As if you didn't know." She leaned forward and kissed him gently, then pulled back, her lips barely brushing his. "And I hope it's mutual," she said leadingly.

He replied by cupping the back of her head and closing the space between their lips. The kiss grew steadily in passion, their teeth clashing and tongues dueling. Between the fireplace warming her back and the heat of Scott's kiss, Jean's whole body felt flushed. She wrapped her arms around him and slid closer, desperate to get as near to him as possible. He was unable to suppress a moan as her hip settled into his groin. They both froze at the sound.

"Sorry," he muttered, clearly embarrassed.

"Don't be," she quickly reassured him.

"But I should be! Christ, Jean, all we've done is kiss for a few minutes, and I want you so much right now I could scream," he admitted angrily, clearly annoyed with himself.

"You do?" she asked, unable to keep the surprise out of her voice. For as intense as their feelings were for each other, and as quickly as their relationship seemed to be moving forward, they had yet to discuss the matter of sex.

"I thought that was made embarrassingly clear a second ago," he said dryly.

She chuckled at his self-deprecation, and kissed his forehead.

He took a deep breath, trying to recover. "This isn't going to be easy, is it?"

She looked at him questioningly.

"Having this kind of relationship," he elaborated.

"Probably not," she agreed. She knew he was referring to everything from the attitudes of their teammates and mentors, to the more physical aspects of their relationship that would soon need to be addressed. "But I think we're worth the effort," Jean admitted, kissing the tip of his nose. 

He smiled in agreement.

"Now are you going to let me work on my essay, or are you going to try to distract me for the rest of the evening?" she teased, sliding off Scott's lap and grinning at him.

"All right, all right, I get the hint," he laughed. He stood up and kissed her gently. "G'night, Jean."

"G'night," she replied softly. When she was alone, she sank down into the chair Scott has just vacated and stared in the dancing flames of the fireplace, smiling. 

~~

**_Feedback please!_**


	10. Chapter 9

**_Chapter 9_**

Bayville High's annual Holiday Formal was traditionally scheduled for the week before Christmas vacation started. This year was no exception. The only thing different about this year's event was that Jean was actually nervous about showing up with her date.  
  
By unspoken agreement, and for reasons neither really understood, Scott and Jean had kept quiet about their relationship while at school. They maintained their usual outward appearances – eating lunch together with the other kids from the Institute, sitting together in their common classes, and carpooling to and from school. Jean would even occasionally link her arm through Scott's as they walked through the halls, as she had been doing since their freshman year; but there was no hand-holding, no stolen kisses between classes, or anything else that would indicate that their relationship had changed.  
  
There were new rumors circulating that Scott and Jean were now dating, but they were nothing new – people had assumed as much off and on for the past four years. So for the time being, the rumors remained unsubstantiated.  
  
That would, of course, change when Jean and Scott showed up together at the dance. It would be obvious that they were a couple, and it would become fodder for the school gossip mill. That bothered Jean, but not enough for her to consider not going – it wasn't a secret that she and Scott were dating, she just didn't especially want the whole school to gossiping about them.   
  
A private person by nature, Jean didn't like people knowing too much about any aspect of her life – though few people would suspect that given her outgoing personality. Few people realized there was more to Jean than what she allowed people to see – she was more than a straight-A student, more than a star athlete, more than the nice, pretty, popular girl who everybody liked. Those were all superficialities. Yes, they were part of who she was, but not all that defined her. Everyone thought they knew Jean, but they were wrong. Only a handful of people _really_ knew her and _really_ knew what was going on in her life. She liked it that way.   
  
Much to Jean's dismay, Duncan had enjoyed flaunting their relationship, thereby destroying any possibility of privacy. She was grateful that Scott seemed to share her sense of discretion. He was more reserved, at any rate, and wasn't inclined to draw undue attention to any aspect of his life, let alone his personal life.  
  
  


Jean finished fussing with her hair and examined her reflection in the full-length mirror. She sighed. _I guess this is as good as it's gonna get, she thought. _

Although Jean had been told often enough how pretty she was, she couldn't quite bring herself to believe it. She looked in the mirror and still saw everything she'd ever been teased about when she was younger. It didn't bother her most days, but when she was making an effort to look nice, it frustrated her. By the look on Scott's face when she met him downstairs, though, she figured she must have done something right.  
  
"You look amazing," he told her, smiling in awe. She ran her hands nervously down the bodice of her dress, smoothing out any wrinkles.  
  
"You really think so?"  
  
Scott shook his head in amusement. "How you can even question it, I have no clue."   
  
She smiled and kissed his cheek, quickly wiping away the lipstick she left behind. "You're sweet. And you look pretty sharp yourself," she told him, giving him the once over.   
  
"Hey, you two look great!" Kurt exclaimed as he appeared in a cloud of smoke. "Are you ready to go? We need to pick up Amanda in 20 minutes."  
  
"Then let's go," Scott said, ushering Kurt and Jean ahead of him.  
  
When they arrived at the school, the dance was already in full swing. The boys went to hang up the coats, while Jean and Amanda stood off to the side chatting. Jean really liked the younger girl, in no small part due to the fact that Amanda knew about the _real_ Kurt and liked him because of it, not in spite of it.   
  
The gym had been decorated to depict a winter wonderland. White balloons and streamers were everywhere, interspersed by large snowflakes that glittered in the light cast by the mirrored ball revolving high overhead in the middle of the room. Fake snow had been sprayed on construction paper evergreen trees and bushes that were taped to the walls, and a few real trees covered in white lights had been placed around the room. Jean thought it actually looked rather nice.  
  
Kurt and Amanda were out on the dance floor in a matter of minutes, leaving Jean and Scott sitting alone at a table. Scott's arm was casually draped along the back of Jean's chair, and she leaned into him slightly. They were apparently the topic of conversation for more than a couple of groups, and Jean sighed as students shot not-so-discreet peeks in their direction.   
  
"And so it begins," Scott muttered under his breath, just loud enough for Jean to hear. A smile tugged at her lips.   
  
"Why do people care, anyway?" Jean asked.   
  
Scott shrugged slightly. "It's just the way things work in high school. It doesn't help that you're one of the _popular girls_, so that automatically makes your life a matter of great interest," he teased.  
  
She shot him a disapproving look out of the corner of her eye, which made him laugh. "Why isn't this bothering you?" she demanded.  
  
"Honestly? Because I'm with you and that's all that matters to me. They can say or think whatever they want."  
  
Jean looked at him for a long moment, a smile spreading across her face. "You always know just what to say to make me feel better, don't you," she said, not making it a question.  
  
A shadow suddenly fell across them. They looked up to see the smirking face of Duncan Matthews, several of his football buddies standing behind him.   
  
"Hey, Summers, she let you discover if she's a natural red head yet?" he asked, leering at Jean.  
  
Scott jumped up from his chair and grabbed Duncan by the front of his suit jacket before the other boy knew what was happening.   
  
"Scott, don't!" Jean said sharply.  
  
Scott didn't let go of Duncan, instead glaring at him, their faces inches apart. Duncan actually looked startled.  
  
"He's not worth it, Scott," Jean insisted, glancing at the crowd that had begun to gather around them.   
  
"Don't _look_ at her. Don't talk _to her, and don't talk __about her," Scott threatened in a low, dangerous voice. "If you do, I _will_ make you regret it."   
  
With that, Scott released Duncan, shoving him so that he stumbled slightly. Duncan glared at Scott, but backed away and made a quick exit from the gym, followed by his goons. There was a scatter of applause and a few cheers from around them, and Scott glanced at the crowd, noticing them for the first time. He flushed in embarrassment, and sat back down.  
  
"My hero," Jean said dryly, watching as the students went back to dancing. Such macho displays had never impressed her. "Nice Neanderthal impression, but the way. What happened to, 'they can say or think whatever they want'?"  
  
Scott looked at her, partly shamefaced and partly defensive. "I'm sorry, Jean, I just can't stand by and let him say things like that about you."   
  
Jean sighed. "I know, and I think it's very sweet that you want to defend my honor," she told him, slightly tongue in cheek.   
  
He glared at her, but then laughed. "You're such a smartass," he chuckled.  
  
She grinned at him as she stood and held out her hand. "Dance with me."  
  
He took her hand as he stood and led her onto the dance floor as a slow song started playing. He circled his arms around her waist as she draped hers over his shoulders. He suddenly realized that in all the years they'd known each other this was the first time they'd ever danced together.  
  
He must have broadcast that thought because Jean chuckled. *I know, strange, huh?* she sent to him.  
  
*It was worth the wait,* Scott replied as he pulled her closer. Jean rested her head against his chest and closed her eyes, and he felt her sigh of contentment. He lightly stroked her lower back as they danced, loving how the velvet of her dress felt under his fingers. He silently wondered if her skin would be as soft, and when he'd get the chance to find out.  
  
*I heard that,* came her mental voice, shocking Scott out of his musings. He could feel her body shaking with silent laughter.   
  
"It's not polite to eavesdrop," he muttered, leaning down slightly so he could speak right into her ear. She giggled harder, and Scott found himself laughing too.  
  
"I'm sorry," she replied softly, fighting to keep a straight face as she met his eyes through the red lenses of his glasses. "I didn't mean to, but you were thinking pretty loudly."  
  
He tried to give her a disapproving stare, but gave up when she smiled at him. *And if you play your cards right, you may get your chance soon,* she sent to him.  
  
Scott was sure that if he didn't stop grinning, his face was going to cramp up._

~~

**_Writer's block is trying to smother me…the only thing that can save me is feedback!_**   
  



	11. Chapter 10

**_Chapter 10_**

A little more than a week after his conversation with Scott, Professor Xavier decided it was time to put his concerns about Scott and Jean's relationship to the test. It wouldn't tell him decisively how Scott would behave in a real battle situation, but Charles was confident it would give him a good idea. 

The Professor scheduled an intensive session in the Danger Room, designed to test the young man's leadership abilities. The goal was simple: get the team past the obstacles as quickly as possible, while avoiding the surprises that would pop up at various points. Xavier had programmed part of the weapons system to target Jean and Evan; the test would be to see how Scott would react.

From his position in the observation room, the Professor watched as the exercise got underway. Scott led the charge around the various obstacles that would appear and retract and appear again at different locations. They were progressing well, each of the team members using their powers to work their way through the course. 

_Here we go_, Charles said to himself as he typed in the command that would activate the rest of the weapons system.

Scott was ushering his team through the course, covering those who needed it and making sure everyone was still with him. 

"Daniels! Jean! Move it!" he ordered, watching as the two lagging members of the team fought the Danger Room's defense system. 

"Just go! We'll be fine!" Jean shouted back, not sparing him a glance as she concentrated on shielding herself against the barrage of simulated gunfire. 

Evan, on the other hand, was having a harder time. He was throwing spikes to deflect the projectiles flying at him, but he was being out-maneuvered. He tucked and rolled to avoid a series of laser-like flashes, and found himself temporarily blinded from the light. As he blinked repeatedly trying to regain his vision, a large canon took aim at him from behind. Jean darted to where Evan was lying defenseless and surrounded them both in a shielded bubble. 

"Kurt, teleport Evan and Jean over here now!" Scott commanded as the rest of the team tried to regroup. 

Kurt _bamfed_ over to where his teammates were fending off the attack. "Come on! I'll get you out of here," Kurt told Evan. "Jean, drop the shield so I can get in!"

Jean did as Kurt asked, refocusing her energy on shielding the two boys. "Jean, you're supposed to come too!" Kurt called to her.

"Just get Evan out of here – I'm fine," she told him.

"But – "

"Just go!"

Kurt obeyed, teleporting back to the others.

"Evan, you ok?" Scott asked, checking the boy for obvious signs of injury.

"Yeah, man, I'll be ok. Just a little dazed," Evan admitted.

"Where's Jean?" Scott demanded, looking back onto the course.

"She told me to get Evan and go," Kurt reported.

"Dammit!" Scott muttered under his breath. "Jean, let's go!" he shouted over the din of explosions.

*Don't wait for me!* she ordered telepathically. *I'll only hold you up. Go and I'll make sure I get to the end point. I've got your backs.*

Scott growled in frustration. He contemplated sending one of the others out to act as backup for her, but quickly discarded the idea. Jean was strong defensively, and he knew she would be able to handle herself. "Ok team, let's keep going. Jean's on her own – says she'll meet us at the end."

They finally reached the end of the simulation, and as promised, Jean met up with them as they crossed the line. A buzzer sounded and the weaponry disengaged and retracted into the walls and floors. 

"That was a good session, X-men," Professor Xavier said through the PA system. "You're dismissed."

"Scott, Jean, a moment please," Professor Xavier called as he exited the observation room. Jean and Scott exchanged a worried glance, and then turned back to the Professor, climbing the stairs to where he sat.

He regarded them for a long moment, a small smile playing at his lips. "I was very pleased with your performance today," he told them. "I noticed nothing that would lead me to believe that my concerns about your relationship were justified, and I'm delighted that I was wrong about this," he told them, smiling warmly at them. "That is all," he said as a dismissal when they failed to respond, amused by the slightly stunned expressions on his students' faces.

Jean and Scott exited the Danger Room and entered the elevator in silence. 

"Did he just give us his _blessing_?" Jean asked finally, amusement tingeing her voice.

Scott chuckled. "Yeah, I think he did."

"That was just so _weird_," she said, trying not to laugh.

"It was," Scott nodded in agreement. "But I have to admit I'm relieved. I didn't like that the Professor wasn't supportive of us being together."

"I know you didn't," Jean told him, linking her arm through his. "But I think you were most bothered by him doubting your competence as the team leader."

He smiled crookedly at her. "You know me too well," he admitted.

"Yes, I do," she agreed with a smile, as they stepped out of the elevator and onto the main floor. "And just to completely change the subject, it would be nice if I could give my parents more than a couple of days notice if I'm bringing my boyfriend home for the holidays. Do you want to come, or not?"

Scott sighed, deeply torn. "Jean, you know I'd do pretty much anything to spend Christmas with you," he began, and Jean didn't let him finish.

"But spending that much time with the Grey clan might be above and beyond the lengths you'd go to for the sake of our relationship?" she teased, knowing that was closer to the truth than he would admit.

Scott chuckled. "Well, your mom's never been a big fan of mine," he said disdainfully.

"Oh, stop – my mom's not a big fan of _anyone," Jean laughed._

"Good point," he grinned. "But in all seriousness, I think I'd rather sit this one out."

"Ok, fair enough," she said with a nod. "Then I'll stay here, too."

Scott was shocked. "Jean, you can't! Your family –"

"My family will cope," she said, waving a hand in he air dismissively. "They won't even notice I'm not there – they'll be too busy gushing over my sister's _fiancé_," Jean said mockingly, drawing out the word pretentiously.

Scott snickered at her obvious disapproval. "I appreciate the thought, but I can't let you give up spending time with your family."

"_Let_ me?" Jean repeated, an eyebrow arched, daring him to continue. 

"Come on, you know I don't mean it like that," Scott sighed.

"Fine, then it's decided. I'm staying here for Christmas," she announced, an impish grin on her face. "We're going to have _so much fun."_

****

~~

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_**


	12. Chapter 11

**_Chapter 11_**

As it turned out, almost everyone in the Institute had somewhere to go for the holidays. Rogue had even been persuaded to spend the time with Kitty's family. By Christmas Eve the Institute had been pretty much deserted; only Scott, Jean, Professor Xavier and Dr. McCoy remained. Jean appointed herself holiday cheer-maker, and recruited Scott to help her make sugar cookies. Christmas carols were playing loudly on the stereo, and the kitchen looked like a war zone.  
  
"You really aren't a very good cook, are you?" Scott teased as Jean poured over a cookbook, trying to determine why her cookie dough was roughly the consistency of pancake batter.  
  
She flipped him off without looking up. Scott laughed.   
  
"You know, Jean, you don't have to excel at _everything. It's ok if you suck at baking."  
  
"I do not _suck_ at baking," she said crisply. "I just misread the recipe, that's all. It was an honest mistake, and I'm sure I'll be able to fix it."  
  
Scott leaned against the counter and crossed his arms, watching her with amusement. "A person secure in her lack of culinary skills would know when to admit defeat," he grinned.  
  
"Do you really want to wear this batter, Scott? 'Cause just keep it up," she warned, pointing at him with the wooden spoon she'd been using to mix the ingredients, before turning her attention back to the recipe. He just smiled at her, thoroughly enjoying seeing her so flustered. Jean had never been one to accept defeat gracefully - if she wasn't good at something on the first try, she pushed herself until she could do it expertly. Fortunately, it seemed there was very little she couldn't perfect; otherwise Scott feared she might kill herself trying. However, it appeared that baking just might be one of the few things that was beyond her ability.  
  
"Dammit," she muttered. "I just don't understand what I did."  
  
"Just throw it out and start again," Scott suggested.  
  
Jean sighed. "I guess I don't have much choice."   
  
Scott helped her re-measure the ingredients and mix them, this time with success. The result was three dozen delicious Santas, snowmen, snowflakes and bells.  
  
"Told you I don't suck at baking," Jean said smugly to Scott, smiling as she nibbled the hat of a Santa. "They're perfect."  
  
"If the two of you have finished destroying the kitchen for the time being, I would very much like to begin dinner preparations," Hank said as he entered the kitchen and popped one of the cookies into his mouth before ushering the teenagers from the room.   
  
_

  
  
Dinner that night was a quiet but lovely affair. After dinner the four of them convened to the common room for eggnog and cookies, and ended the evening by watching **_A Christmas Carol_**.   
  
At the urging of Jean and Scott, the Professor and Dr. McCoy retired near midnight, leaving the teenagers to clean up. Jean stood by the kitchen sink washing glasses when she glanced out the window.  
  
"Oh, Scott, look! Christmas snow!" she said in a voice filled with child-like awe.   
  
Scott joined her at the sink and peered outside. Sure enough, snow was falling – heavily.  
  
"You don't actually want to go _out_ in that, do you? It's coming down pretty hard."  
  
"It's not that bad," Jean implored. "Come on, please? We can get all bundled up, get a thermos of hot chocolate, a blanket to sit on, and go down by the lake. It'll be fun!"  
  
Scott studied her for a moment, huge green eyes pleading, a hopeful smile on her lips. He knew he didn't stand a chance.  
  
"Ok, ok," he relented with a sigh. Jean squealed excitedly and threw her arms around him.   
  
  


  
"Isn't this perfect?" Jean asked with a contented sigh. She and Scott were sitting on a blanket spread out on the dock; Jean sat between Scott's long legs, leaning back against his chest. Steam rose from the lake, the water warmer than the cool air, and snow continued to fall. Scott took a sip of his hot chocolate, humming his agreement. "I can't think of a better way to spend Christmas Eve," she continued, craning her head around to kiss him. He kissed her back, and smiled.  
  
"You're not sorry you didn't go home?" he asked, still worried.  
  
"Oh, I'm just devastated," Jean deadpanned. "I would so much rather be at home dealing with family politics and listening to Sara go on and on _and on_ about wedding plans than be with my boyfriend."  
  
"Y'know, I don't think I'll ever get tired of hearing you call me that," Scott admitted, ignoring her earlier sarcasm.  
  
Jean grinned and squeezed the arm that he had wrapped around her waist. "Good."  
  
They were silent for a long moment, simply enjoying being together. "Can you believe this is our last year in high school?" Scott finally asked.  
  
Jean shook her head. "It seems kind of surreal."  
  
"Have you given anymore thought to where you want to go to college?"  
  
"Yes and no," she said. "They're all great schools, so as long as we go to the same place, I don't really have a preference. "  
  
"Really?" Scott asked, clearly surprised.   
  
"Of course. We've always planned on doing it this way - we agreed to it at the beginning of 10th grade. I know we applied to the same schools, so I just figured we'd make the decision together," she said, then paused. "Unless you don't want to go to college together anymore."  
  
"_Of course_ I want us to go to college together," he told her, hugging her tightly and burying his face in her snow-flecked hair. "Now more than ever."  
  
Jean rolled from between his legs, and twisted her body around. Scott pulled his legs together in preparation to stand, but she surprised him by quickly throwing one leg across him so that she was straddling him, sitting on his thighs. She sat there looking at him for a long moment.   
  
Scott was taken by how beautiful she looked, the glow from the snow illuminating her fair skin, snowflakes swirling around her, hair blowing gently in the breeze.   
  
"What?" he finally asked, growing uncomfortable under her gaze.  
  
She didn't answer, instead leaned forward and covered his lips with hers. Scott responded by matching her kiss for kiss. Without breaking contact, Jean pushed gently against his chest and he leaned backwards until he felt the hardness of the dock beneath him. He clutched at her back through her thick jacket, drawing her closer. He could feel the chill seeping up through the blanket, through his coat, but he ignored it. 

On her hands and knees, Jean continued her assault on Scott's mouth. They kissed until their breathing turned ragged. Scott tentatively slid his hands over her hips and caressed her rear end, and was thrilled when Jean startled slightly but then kissed him back even harder. He pushed gently against her knees, urging them backwards so that she would rest fully on top of him. She obliged, and he reveled in the feeling of her weight pressing on top of him. He parted his legs slightly, allowing her to sink between them, her pelvis pressing against his. He felt her sharp intake of air at the contact, and quickly rolled them over onto their sides, knowing that it had been a little bit too much too soon. They continued to kiss for several minutes before they finally pulled apart. They lay there looking into each others eyes, catching their breath. The snowflakes that landed and melted on their overheated skin were refreshing. Scott cupped her jaw and stroked her cheek lightly with his thumb.  
  
"I love you," he told her softly, impulsively.   
  
Jean smiled at him, happiness seeming to radiate from her eyes. "I love you, too," she replied, her voice barely above a whisper. They kissed again and it was filled with the sweetness of their declaration.   
  
They stood and gathered the blanket and thermos in silence, and started walking back towards the mansion.   
  
"I told you it would be fun to come out here," Jean finally said, flashing Scott an impish smile. He laughed, stopped walking and wrapped her in his arms. He just held her.   
  
They finally made their way inside, and stood outside of Jean's bedroom door kissing gently. "It's going to be really lonely _way across the hall in my room, all by myself," Scott teased.  
  
Jean laughed softly, but then turned serious. "Scott, I'm sorry. I know it sounds clichéd, but I'm just not ready for that yet."  
  
"I know, I'm sorry – I was just teasing," he said hurriedly, feeling guilty that he'd made her feel badly. "I would never push you into anything, I hope you know that."  
  
"Of course I do," she assured him, taking his hand. "And I can tell you, without question, that I won't make you wait forever. No matter what Duncan may say, I'm not a tease."  
  
"Fuck _Duncan_," Scott said bitterly, shocking Jean with the vehemence behind the words.  
  
"No thanks," Jean quipped, trying to ease the sudden tension. "I wouldn't do it when I was dating him, and I'm sure as hell not going to do it now."  
  
Scott glared at her. "Don't be flip."  
  
"I'm not. I'm _trying_ to make you lighten up. And failing miserably, apparently," she told him.   
  
Scott heaved a frustrated sigh. "I'm sorry. I just don't want you to compare me to Matthews."  
  
"I wasn't," she assured him. "I was just trying to tell you that I'm not a tease. I won't lead you on."  
  
Scott finally smiled and kissed her forehead. "I know, and I never thought you would." She tipped her head back invitingly and he dropped a kiss onto her lips. "Now go to sleep or Santa won't visit."  
  
Jean grinned at him one last time and turned to enter her bedroom. She turned back and smiled at him over her shoulder. "I really do love you," she told him, and slipped through the door, shutting it behind her.  
  
Scott walked a couple of doors down and across the hall to his own room, smiling to himself. _Merry Christmas to me.__

~~

**_Have I mentioned how much I love feedback?_**


	13. Chapter 12

**_Chapter 12_**

****

The first thing Scott became aware of was that his bed was shaking. The second thing he realized was that there was someone else in his room. His eyes flew open, and he was greeted by the sight of Jean's grinning face. She was sitting on the edge of the mattress dressed in her nightshirt and a thick blue terry cloth robe, bouncing up and down slightly. He raised an eyebrow at her questioningly.  
  
"What are you doing?" he asked in confused amusement, his voice rough from sleep.  
  
She grinned wider. "It's Christmas!"  
  
"Yeah...?"  
  
"It's Christmas!" she said again, bouncing harder. "Get up!"  
  
Scott laughed at her excitement, and glanced at his alarm clock. "Jean, it's seven o'clock."  
  
"I know. Get up!" she ordered, standing and trying to drag him from the bed. He refused to move, instead pulling her down onto the bed next to him.  
  
"How old are you – five? Lie down and go back to sleep for two more hours. _Then_ we'll get up," he told her.  
  
Jean's lower lip protruded in a pout, and Scott suddenly had a very good idea of how Jean must have looked as a little girl. He moved further over on the bed to make room for her, and she reluctantly lay down next to him, his arm curled behind her and her head pillowed on his chest. He kissed her forehead and then quickly drifted back to sleep, the comforting warmth of Jean curled against his side.  
  


  
Scott was the first to wake. He looked down at Jean, sleeping peacefully against him, and was overwhelmed by the strength of his feelings for her. She literally made his heart ache. He grinned to himself at the corniness of the sentiment, but felt no embarrassment. It was simply the way he felt, and he would make no excuses for it.  
  
"Jean," he said softly, trying to rouse her from sleep as gently as he could. She shifted slightly, pressing herself closer to him and muttering something incomprehensible.  
  
"Come on, Jean, you're the one who wanted to get up early," Scott chuckled as Jean groaned. "Don't you want to go downstairs to open presents?"   
  
"Hmmm-hmm," she murmured in the affirmative, her face pressed into Scott's shoulder as she stretched lazily. "But I'm kinda liking where I am right now," she admitted, looking up at him though sleepy eyes, a smile curling her lips. She snuggled closer. "Presents can wait, cuddling can't."  
  
Scott snickered. "You know exactly how cute you are when you do things like that, don't you?"   
  
She shook her head in emphatic denial, her hair tickling Scott's chin. "You're such a brat," he chuckled. "C'mon, get up. Go back to your room, have a shower, and we'll meet downstairs in half an hour. By then the Professor and Hank should be up – if they aren't already – and we'll open presents."  
  
Jean heaved a grand sigh and sat up, glaring at Scott. "Fine. Just know that you passed up on some quality cuddling," she announced as she got out of bed and crossed the room.   
  
"Rain check? Tonight, maybe?" he called after her, hopeful.  
  
"We'll just have to see," she teased, letting herself out of his room.  
  
  


  
Jean bounded down the stairs 20 minutes later, hair still slightly damn from her shower. She'd always loved Christmas, and was especially excited because in all the years she'd been at the Institute, this was the first one she got to spend there – and, more specifically, the first one she got to spend with Scott.   
  
Professor Xavier was the only one in the common room when she arrived. "Merry Christmas, Professor," she greeted him, hugging him and kissing his cheek.  
  
"And to you, my dear," Xavier replied, smiling warmly at her. "Henry is preparing breakfast - it should be ready shortly. Will Scott be joining us?"  
  
His question caused Jean to blush, though there was no real reason for it. "Yes, he should be here any minute."  
  
"Jean," Charles began gently, trying not to let his amusement show. "I know you spent the earlier part of this morning with him. It's fine. Quite honestly, I'm surprised you haven't spent more nights together – you did it often enough when you were younger."  
  
"Professor –" Jean tried to interject, thoroughly embarrassed at what her mentor was implying.  
  
He held up a hand to quiet her. "All I am saying, Jean, is that both of you are old and mature enough to make your own decisions, and to take responsibility for those decisions. Believe it or not, I do remember what it was like to be young and in love," he told her with an uncharacteristic wink.   
  
She smiled sheepishly at him, blushing the color of her hair. "Thank you, Professor."  
  
Scott appeared a few moments later, followed by Hank calling everyone for breakfast. After a buffet of bacon, sausage, eggs, pancakes, French toast and fresh fruit, the foursome regrouped in the common room to open presents. There were a remarkable number of presents under the tree considering there were only four of them. Curious, Jean peered at a couple of the parcels as she passed by and realized they were from her parents – they'd arrived my courier the day before. They'd even sent a gift for Scott, she was thrilled to see.   
  
"I told you my mom didn't have anything personal against you – she's just like that with everyone," Jean said smugly as he held up the (expensive) black wool sweater the Greys had sent him. Scott was very pleased, but tried not to show how much it mattered to him that Jean's parents accepted him.  
  


  
The afternoon was spent watching Christmas specials on television and listening to holiday music, while Jean and Scott took turns helping Hank make dinner. After a classic Christmas feast of roast turkey and all the trimmings, they opened the Trivial Pursuit game Jean had received from her soon-to-be brother-in-law and played two rounds. Unsurprisingly, Dr. McCoy won both times.  
  
The grown-ups retired late in the evening, leaving Jean and Scott in the common room watching the live-action version of The Grinch.   
  
"So, did you have a good Christmas?" Scott asked. He and Jean were lying on the sofa much like they'd been that morning in his bed. Scott had one arm propped behind his head, the other was lightly stroking Jean's side through her light-weight shirt.   
  
"Hmmm-hmmm," Jean murmured contentedly. "You?"  
  
"No complaints," he told her, squeezing her gently with one arm. They were quiet for a long time, watching as Little Cindy-Lou Who tried to convert the Grinch from him evil grinchy ways.  
  
"Y'know what?" Jean asked suddenly.  
  
"What?"  
  
"Everyone's asleep."  
  
Scott glanced down at her, an eyebrow arched. "And...?"  
  
"And, I was just thinking maybe we could get in a little quality time together," she said with a slow smile.  
  
"Are you asking me to make out with you?" he teased.  
  
Jean pretended to think about it, then nodded slowly. "Yeah, I guess I am."  
  
"Gladly," he told her before rolling onto his side and covering her mouth with his. They necked for a long while, unhurried in their efforts. Scott's hands roamed her back, finding the hem of her shirt un-tucked from the back of her pants. He cautiously slid his hand up under the fabric to caress her bare back. Her skin was even softer than he'd imagined.

Jean arched into him, obviously enjoying the caress. She hooked her leg over Scott's thigh and rolled them over slightly so that she was lying mostly on her back with Scott lying partly on top of her. With the shift in position, Scott found his hand on the bare skin of her stomach. He started to withdraw his hand, afraid of making Jean uncomfortable. Her hand on his wrist stopped him.  
  
*Is this ok?* he sent to her, knowing she'd hear him. He didn't want to have to break the kiss.  
  
*Yes,* she replied firmly, kissing him fiercely.   
  
Scott's hand slid slowly across Jean's midriff, but movement was restricted by her shirt. Scott withdrew his hand and absently plucked at the buttons.  
  
*Go ahead,* she answered his unasked question. Fumbling with one hand he slowly popped one button from its hole, then another, and another, until every one was freed. His hand trembled as he gently pushed aside one of half of her shirt, then the other. He had to break the kiss – he _had to look at her.  
  
She gazed up at him through half-closed eyes, lips swollen from their kisses, hair slightly messed. Her face was flushed, and he followed the coloration down her neck to her chest, and his breath caught. She was wearing a white cotton and lace bra, and her breasts were perfect globes rising above the lace edges. The pale skin of her chest was covered in a light dusting of freckles, a larger slightly darker one nestled perfectly between her breasts. He raised his hand and ran his fingers feather-softly across her skin, and she sucked in a shaky breath.  
  
"I love you," he whispered, before leaning down and kissing the base of her throat. His lips trailed across her collar bones, her shoulders, and across her chest, until he finally kissed the rounded tops of her breasts. Scott moved suddenly to capture her lips again, his hand continuing the caress of her body where his kisses were moments ago. He fully cupped one of her breasts, squeezing gently, rubbing his thumb over her nipple through the fabric of her bra. Jean gasped and arched fully into his hand, urging him on with her kiss. Jean unsuccessfully fought back a moan of pleasure and wove her fingers through Scott's hair.  
  
Their heads were clouding with rising passion, and suddenly neither of them could remember why they'd decided to take things slowly.   
  
_

~~

**_Can I get some feedback, please? Can I get some feedback, please? Can I get some feedback, please? (I beg in my best imitation of Bart & Lisa nagging Homer)_**


	14. Chapter 13

**_Chapter 13_**

_What a merry fuckin' Christmas this's been,_ Logan thought to himself with a mental growl. He'd just returned to the Institute, and he was tired and ornery. The mission the Professor had sent him on had been a total waste of time and effort, and Logan was frustrated by the lack of action – he was itching to rip into someone. 

As he wandered up from the sub-basement to the mansion's main floor, he noticed the glow from the television in the common room. Curious, he poked his head around the corner; he quickly registered three things: 

1. Jean was lying on the couch.

2. Scott was on top of her, kissing her.

3. Jean's shirt was completely unbuttoned, and Scott's hands were…busy.

Then all he knew was a white hot rage.

****

Jean heard the familiar *snikt* of Logan unsheathing his claws a fraction of a second before Scott did. Her eyes flew open and she heard Logan's growl as he charged into the room. In a flash Scott had rolled off the sofa and Jean had shoved him behind her and towards the wall, holding him there for his own protection. Knowing it was their best chance, she placed herself directly in Logan's path.

"Logan, stop" she said in a warning tone, walking backwards quickly to stay ahead of him. He ignored her.

"For godsake, Logan, _stop it_!" she repeated as he continued his charge, eyes wild.

"Logan, cut it out!" Jean finally shouted angrily, throwing up a TK shield. Logan ran into it and snarled.

"Logan, listen to me," she said, barely contained fury in her voice. She stood her ground, not moving an inch. "You've got to stop. You're over-reacting."

Logan glanced at her briefly, but quickly shifted his focus back to the young man she was protecting.

"Cover yerself up and get out of the way, Jeannie," he ordered in a low, dangerous voice.

"No! Logan, stop it! This is stupid!"

"Drop the goddamn shield, and get out of the way," he barked, causing Jean to flinch. Logan snarled and moved to shove her out of the way. 

"Logan! _Enough!" Jean shouted, unable to restrain her rage any longer. She concentrated her powers and used them to throw Logan across the room and into the far wall. He connected with such force that cracks in the plaster radiated out from where he hit. _

Logan was momentarily dazed. He shook his head to clear it, then refocused his attention on the two teenagers. Jean stood her ground, staring at him. She clutched her shirt closed with one hand, the other still stretched towards Logan, her TK at the ready. In all his years he couldn't remember facing anyone as angry as the young woman before him now. Scott had taken up a spot at Jean's side, a protective – and calming – hand on her shoulder.

"Jeannie," Logan said in a choked voice, realizing for the first time what he'd been doing. "I…." he trailed off, not knowing what to say.

She stared at him, eyes cold in their fury. He tried to get to his feet, but found himself firmly pushed down again by an invisible hand. "S_tay there_," she ordered in a tone he'd never before heard her use.

"Christ, Jeannie, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to…"

"C'mon, Jean, let's go," Scott said gently as he wrapped a protective arm around her and guided her from the room.

Alone in the common room, Logan began to tremble as the reality set in. He couldn't believe what he'd almost done. He'd been _this_ close to hurting Jean, one of the – no, quite probably _the_ most important person in his life. He didn't even want to consider what he'd wanted to do to Scott. 

Logan and Jean had had their share of run-ins over the years. Her temper was fierce, and Logan loved to set her off. He knew what buttons to push to really make her angry, and he'd been on the receiving end of her temper more times than he could remember. It had never been anything like this, though. He leaned back against the wall and buried his face in his hands, wondering if she'd ever be able to forgive him.

Upstairs Scott ushered Jean into his bedroom, closing and locking the door behind them. She was shaking, so Scott sat her down on the edge of his bed and wrapped his duvet around her, holding it in place with his arm around her shoulders.

"Are you ok?" he asked gently.

She nodded mutely, not looking at him. 

"Are you _really_?" he asked again, using his free hand to cup her chin and make her meet his eyes.

She took a deep breath, letting it out slowly. "Yeah, I'm ok," she told him, but the tremor in her voice gave her away. He hugged her tightly, and just held her for several long minutes. Finally her trembling subsided, and her anger faded.

"Promise me something," he said in a quiet but firm voice. "Don't _ever_ do anything like that again. Don't try to protect me by putting yourself in danger. If anything ever happened to you…Jesus, Jean, I wouldn't be able to live with myself."

"I knew he wouldn't hurt me," she told him.

"But he almost _did_, and that's the point," Scott said, trying to keep the anger from his voice. "He was so out of control that he almost hurt you because you were in his way."

"He was only trying to protect me," Jean began, but Scott cut her off.

"Yeah, by _disemboweling me!" Scott said, losing the battle against his anger. "Logan has become unpredictable and dangerous, and I'm really starting to question whether he belongs at the Institute." _

"Scott, you don't mean that," Jean said, shocked. "I know you and Logan have never been the best of friends, but you've always gotten along. I thought you at least respected him."

"My respect for him disappeared when he stopped respecting me – when he refused to respect _us_. We're not kids anymore – you're not his little _Jeannie, and I'm not the poor blind kid the Professor rescued. He'd better learn to accept that, sooner rather than later."_

"But Scott, to him we _are_ still kids – for all we know, he could be old enough to be our great-grand-father. Whether you want to admit it or not, he had an active role in raising us, so it's only natural that he'd have a hard time accepting the fact that we're growing up." Jean sighed and tried to collect her thoughts. After a long moment, she continued.

"From the day I arrived here, Logan's been looking out for me. Yes, it was the Professor who brought me out of my coma, but if it hadn't been for Logan, and to a lesser degree Ororo and Hank, I would have been lost. You remember how insecure I was when you first met me?" At Scott's nod, she continued. "Well, multiply that by about a hundred and you'll get an idea of how messed up I was at the beginning. I hated _who_ I was, I hated _what_ I was…I hated everything about myself." Scott's arms tightened almost painfully around her shoulder, and she rested her head against his chest. 

"Logan got me through all that. He helped me to start liking myself, to build up my self-esteem. He and I have almost a father-daughter relationship, only not. Maybe he's more like a really overprotective older brother, or a favorite uncle, I don't know. But the point is, as much as I want to stay angry with him – and I can honestly say I've never been that furious before in my life – I just _can't_ because I know his heart's in the right place."

Scott was silent for a long time, thinking about what she'd said. Jean had a point, but that didn't mean Scott had to like it. 

"You need to get some sleep," Scott finally, wanting to end the discussion. He stood to help her up. "I'll walk you to your room."

"Wait," Jean said, reaching out to grasp his hand. "Can I stay here tonight? Please…I just really don't want to be alone right now, ok?" 

He nodded and she smiled in relief. Scott found one of his t-shirts for her to wear, and Jean slipped into the ensuite bathroom to change. Scott changed into his flannel pajama pants and a t-shirt and slipped on his sleeping goggles, and waited for her to come back. 

Scott was already in bed by the time Jean emerged from the bathroom. She climbed in next to him, her back to his front. He spooned up behind her, holding her tightly. 

"I love you," she whispered. 

"I love you, too," he told her, his voice thick with emotion.

And they slept.   

****

Early the next afternoon, Jean went in search of Logan. She found him alone in the common room watching a hockey game, and she smiled in spite of herself, completely unsurprised at his choice of entertainment.

"Hey," she said softly as she stood in the doorway, hands clasped behind her back.

He glanced at her, trying to hide his surprise. He'd been sure she would avoid him like the plague for the next several days, and he was too ashamed to seek her out. Instead he'd made himself easy to find – just in case. "Hey yerself."

"You got a minute?" she asked hesitantly.

Logan sighed, but offered her a smile. "For you, darlin', anytime."

She let out a breath she didn't realize she'd been holding and entered the room. Perched on the arm of the sofa, her feet on the seat cushion, Jean regarded him warily. She squirmed uncomfortably, hating that she felt so apprehensive around him. She glanced down at her hands, unable to meet his eyes. "I wanted to talk to you....about me and Scott."

Logan tensed slightly, but only nodded for her to continue. 

"I love him," she stated firmly.

Logan was silent for so long she was starting to wonder if he was ever going to respond.

"And he loves me," she finally added.

"Jeannie," he said her name slowly, searching for the next words. "I can't even tell ya how sorry I am 'bout last night. I lost control, I know." He sighed. "It's just that I look at ya and I still see the shy, scared kid ya were when ya first got here. I told ya I'd always look out for ya, and I plan on keepin' that promise."

"But Logan, I'm not that little girl anymore," she told him, sliding off her perch and onto the seat cushion. "I've grown up. You don't have to protect me for the rest of my life. I think I do a pretty good job of taking care of myself." 

Logan chuckled at that and nodded, his gaze darting to the damaged wall where Jean had propelled him the night before.

"Besides, if I really need someone, I've got Scott watching out for me."

Logan flinched at her words, and she finally understood. 

Logan didn't want to be replaced. 

Unlike the other boys she'd gone on dates with, she and Scott had a bond that went beyond teenage hormones. He knew that this relationship was going to be serious, and that Scott would be a permanent part of her life.

She scooted over to where Logan sat and pushed his arm up so that he had no choice but to wrap it around her shoulders. She slipped her arms around his broad chest and hugged him fiercely. "I'll always want you in my life, Logan. I love you, you know that, right?"

She heard his breath catch in his throat. Logan's arm tightened around her, and felt him drop a quick kiss onto the crown of her head. She smiled into his chest.

"Love you too, darlin'," he said softly, bringing tears to her eyes. He was not the type to be open with his emotions, and it meant a lot to her to hear him say those words. She felt honored to know this side of him – the Logan no-one else saw. 

The sound of someone clearing his throat got their attention. They looked over to see Scott standing in the doorway, arms crossed. "Am I interrupting something?" he asked dryly.

Jean smiled at him. "Logan and I were just talking."

Scott raised an eyebrow and pursed his lips. "Uh, sure. Anyway, Jean, I was going to run into town to drop off the videos, and maybe pick up some new ones. Do you want to come?"

"Sure," she told him, getting up from the couch after hugging Logan one last time. "Thanks," she said to the older man with a warm smile.

"Anytime, darlin'."

"Let me just go grab my coat," Jean said as she passed Scott, giving his hand a quick squeeze. *Play nice,* she ordered him telepathically.

Scott cautiously crossed the room to pick up the videos from beside the television set. He could feel Logan's eyes tracking him.

"Y'know yer not good enough for her," Logan said bluntly.

Scott didn't acknowledge the remark right away, but he finally nodded. "Nobody's good enough for Jean," he said in agreement.

"And y'know that if ya ever do anything to hurt her, you'll wish ya'd never been born."

"If I ever do anything to hurt her, I'll deserve anything you do to me," Scott stated simply. 

Logan was silent, looking at Scott steadily. Finally he said, "Take good care of her." 

Scott regarded the other man for a moment. Then he nodded and smiled.

~~

**_I'm a glutton for feedback!_**


	15. Chapter 14

**_Chapter 14_**

The remainder of the holidays flew by, and Scott and Jean were careful not to repeat their encounter on the sofa Christmas night. On the one hand Scott was almost glad Logan had interrupted them before things had gotten really out of hand – he didn't want his first time with Jean to be a frantic coupling on the couch in the common room. She deserved better than that. They both knew it was simply a matter of time, though.

Back at school, Jean and Scott had decided that some hand-holding might not be too bad, not too obvious a PDA. Since everyone now knew about their relationship anyway, they didn't need to be as discreet. Talk around the school had them crowned the new Super Couple – the perfect pair. 

Jean was searching through her locker for her American Lit textbook when she caught sight of a familiar figure heading towards her. She suppressed a groan and tried to ignore him.

"Hey Jean," Duncan greeted as he approached. "Did you have a good Christmas break?" 

Jean glanced at him. "It was fine, thanks. Why?"

He raised his hands in surrender. "Hey, chill, I was only asking. Can't we even talk anymore?

She shrugged and returned to rummaging through her locker. "Fine, what do you want to talk about?"

"I miss you," he said with as much sincerity as Jean could remember hearing from him. It caused her to pause in her digging and look sideways at him.

"You do?" she asked warily.

He smiled, hope flaring in him. "Of course I do. We had some really good times together. I was kinda hoping we could give it another shot."

Jean sighed. "Duncan, you know that Scott and I are together now –" 

Duncan smiled cockily and cut her off. "Oh, c'mon, Jean. You and Summers haven't been dating that long. Break it off with him and get back with me. You know you want to." He reached out to stroke her cheek, and she jerked her head backwards.

"No, actually I don't. Look, you and I...it just never would have worked. We were a bad idea from the start, I just couldn't see it. I'm _happy_ with Scott."

Duncan gave her an ugly smirk. "Summers is a loser, Jean. What the hell do you see in him, anyway? God knows you're not with him for the sex – you're too much of a prude to be screwing him already. It took me months before I even came close to getting in your pants."

"That's _it_!" Jean shouted in exasperation, slamming her locker shut. "I have had it with you! I've tried to be the bigger person here. I have _tried to ignore your nasty, snide comments about me, but I just don't have it in me anymore." She turned on Duncan and took several steps forward. He retreated slightly, backing himself up against the wall of lockers._

"Do you want to know _why I wouldn't sleep with you?" she demanded, not expecting a reply. "Because I didn't want to – simple as that. Hell, most of the time we were together I didn't even _like_ you, let alone want to have _sex_ with you. You treated me like shit half the time we were together, but I stupidly overlooked that because at times you could actually be charming."_

"Babe, c'mon, it wasn't like that," Duncan said smoothly, adopting what he knew to be his most dazzling smile. Jean raised her hand sharply, commanding his silence.

"Number one, _don't call be _babe_," she spat out. "_Ever_. Number two, it _was_ like that. You were just too high on yourself to realize it." _

Duncan just blinked at her, not knowing what to say or do.

"You will stop harassing me and my friends. You will not speak to me or Scott. And you will stop spreading rumors about me – you may not think I've heard the things you've said, but I have," she told, her eyes narrowed in anger.

"Or else what?" Duncan had the gall to ask. 

Jean smirked at him. "You remember Logan, right? The scary guy from the Institute who met you at the door the first time you came to pick me up?"

Duncan swallowed loudly and nodded, remembering the barely veiled threat delivered by the older man that first evening. 

"Well, Logan's _very_ protective. If he ever found out any of the things you said or did to me, I don't know if there's a force on the planet that would be able to keep him from hunting you down." Jean smiled sweetly at him, then turned and walked away.

*****

"I was wrong – Duncan isn't just a moron, he's a delusional psychopath," Jean proclaimed to Scott as she flopped onto his bed. He'd glanced at her from where he sat at his desk when she entered his room, but now spun his chair around to face her.

"What did he do?" Scott demanded.

Jean sighed and lay down, staring at the ceiling. "He asked me to get back together with him."

"You're kidding!"

"I wish. I finally lost it and threatened to sick Logan on him if he didn't leave us alone."

"Why didn't you tell me about this earlier?" Scott asked angrily, rising from his chair to pace around the room.

"Because I figured you'd get mad and want to get into a pissing contest with him. And obviously I was right," she said with a smirk, rolling onto her side to look at him. "Anyway, I really do think he'll back off now – for a while anyway. And by the time he gets over his fear of Logan I'm sure he'll have moved on to making life miserable for some other poor girl."

Scott watched her carefully for a long moment. "Can I ask you something?" he finally asked.

Jean nodded for him to continue.

"What did you ever see in him, anyway?"

She was silent, pondering her answer. "Well, a big part of it was the _idea_ of him. The handsome star football player, one of the most popular guys in the school, was interested in _me_. I was a little star struck, to be honest – I couldn't quite believe that someone like him really liked me, but I grasped it and held on for dear life. Even when I started realizing he wasn't the guy I thought he was, I wasn't quite ready to let go of the illusion." She paused and glanced away from Scott. "He brought out a side of me that I didn't like very much. I'm not blind Scott, I know I acted differently when I was with him. I'm very much ashamed of that." 

"You weren't that bad, Jean," Scott tried to reassure her.

"No, I _was_ that bad," she insisted, sitting up and absently running her fingers through her disheveled hair. "I was downright bitchy sometimes – you know I'm not usually like that. I could see how I was behaving, but I couldn't seem to stop it. It frustrated me, because I knew I was hurting my friends – hurting _you_ – by acting that way."

Scott sat next to her on the bed. "We survived," he told her with a smile.

"You've always been too good to me. I've taken that for granted over the past year or so, I think. I've counted on the fact that you would be there, regardless of what happened. Why did you put up with me?"

"Honestly? Because you've had me wrapped around your finger since the first moment I saw you," he admitted with a grin. "I'd gotten to know the _real_ you before that, so I was already half-way gone. The whole package was just irresistible."

"Flattery will get you nowhere," she muttered, embarrassed.

"It's not flattery, it's the truth," Scott insisted gently. "Besides, I was just biding my time until you came to your senses, and I'd have a chance with you."

"I wish you'd said something sooner," Jean said wistfully, letting her head rest on his shoulder. "You could have saved me from wasting half a year of my life on that creep."

Scott shook his head. "I don't think either of us would have been ready for this before now. Sure, I wanted to ask you out, but I would have been terrified if you'd said yes."

"Thanks a lot," she said dryly, smacking his chest lightly.

Scott laughed and hugged her tightly. "So did you come in here for any reason other than to complain about your ex?"

"As a matter of fact, yes: I wanted you to give up on your homework and go outside with me for a while."

"Let me guess," he said mock seriously, pretending to think really hard. "It wouldn't be snowing out, would it?"

Jean stuck her tongue out at him. "Stop making fun of me. Yes, it's snowing. But more importantly than that, thanks in part to Bobby, the lake has finally completely frozen over. So let's go skating."

"I don't get a say in this, do I?" Scott asked, leaning over to brush Jean's hair aside and kiss her neck. "'Cause if I'm going to take a study break, I'd much rather stay right here with you."

"Not this time," she told him as she slipped out of his embrace. "Come on, let's go!"

Scott looked into her smiling face and sighed. "Fine. You're no fun."

"If you're nice to me, maybe I'll help you warm up when we come back inside," she said lightly, hopping off the bed and heading towards his door. She glanced back over her shoulder and flashed a flirtatious grin.

Suddenly skating didn't sound like such a bad idea to Scott. 

~~

**_*Jen holds up a sign and waves it back and forth* Will write for feedback!_**


	16. Chapter 15

_Time for another great big THANK YOU to everyone who's reviewed **Snow**. You guys rock! Keep the feedback coming! Incidentally, my first ever fan fic, **First Sight, is tragically lacking in reviews…  ; )**_

**_Chapter 15_**

"So, do you and Jean have big plans for tomorrow night?" Kurt asked as he and Scott were waiting in the cafeteria line for lunch.

"Tomorrow's Wednesday, why would we have big plans?" 

"Don't tell me you've forgotten?" Kurt asked in amazement. "Tomorrow's the two-month anniversary of your first date!" 

"First of all, it scares me that you're keeping track," Scott said dryly. "Second, so it's our two-month anniversary – what's the big deal?"

"Two months is the magic number," Kurt explained patiently. "If a relationship's not going to last, it generally tanks by the six-week mark. So when you reach two months, it's a big achievement. It should be celebrated accordingly."

Scott thought about that for a minute. "You think Jean's expecting us to celebrate?"

Kurt shook his head in disapproval. "Probably, but that's not the point. Anniversaries are important to girls – they keep track of _everything. If you want to score points, you'll make sure to acknowledge this anniversary in some way."_

"Really?" Scott asked, still skeptical.

"Trust the fuzzy one, Scott," Kurt said with a grin. "Have I ever led you wrong before?"

Scott arched an eyebrow at his friend in amusement. "I'm pleading the Fifth on that."

"Like, what are you and Scott planning for tomorrow night?" Kitty quizzed Jean. They were sitting at a table in the cafeteria waiting for the boys to join them.

"What's tomorrow night?" Rogue asked as Jean opened her mouth to pose the same question.

"Well, duh! It's the two-month anniversary of Scott and Jean's first date!" Kitty said in exasperation.

"It is?" Jean asked, surprised that she hadn't realized it before now. "Huh, I guess you're right."

Kitty's jaw dropped in shock. "You, like, _forgot?"_

Jean shrugged noncommittally and blushed slightly. 

"Why's this so important?" Rogue asked, looking from one girl to the other.

"Two months is, like, the anniversary that establishes you as a _serious_ couple," Kitty explained. "Most couples don't make it to this point, so it's, like, a totally _huge deal."_

"Oh, fer cryin' out loud," Rogue groaned tiredly and rolled her eyes. 

Kitty glared at the other girl before turning her attention back to Jean. "So you, like, don't have any plans yet?"

"Scott hasn't said anything, so none as far as I know," she replied. Jean wasn't sure if she was relieved that Scott didn't seem to be making a big deal out of it, or annoyed that he didn't think it was a milestone worth celebrating. Of course, she could hardly blame him for not making any plans when she herself hadn't given it any thought.

"Ugh! Boys can be, like, so totally frustrating sometimes!" Kitty said, exasperated. "They _never_ remember anniversaries! Why is it so hard for them to remember, like, the simple things?"

"One word, Kitty: testosterone," Jean smirked. "Boys' brains are wired differently. They're more primal – they're programmed to hunt and protect, and do manly-man stuff like that. They're much more animalistic than girls – and I don't mean that the way it sounds. They're just not programmed to remember things like birthdays or anniversaries – "

"Or, in some cases, how to walk upright," Rogue interjected, and Jean burst out laughing.

"Exactly," Jean agreed through her laughter. "Of course, there are exceptions to every rule," she clarified as Scott and Kurt approached the table.

"What's so funny?" Scott asked as he took his seat next to Jean. 

"Oh, nothing," she said with a smile. "Just discussing the inherent differences between the sexes."

Scott quirked his eyebrow and regarded Jean suspiciously. "Why am I suddenly glad that we got here for the end of the conversation instead of the beginning?"

"'Cause you're smarter than the average bear?" Rogue suggested innocently, causing Kitty to choke on her sandwich and Jean to almost spit her drink across the table. The girls' faces were red from laughing, and Scott and Kurt could do nothing but look at each other in confusion.

"Why is she quoting Yogi Bear, and why do they think it's so funny?" Kurt asked quietly.

Scott shook his head, completely bewildered. "I have no idea. Suffice it to say that girls are strange."

*****

Wednesday turned out to be grey and snowy – a perfect winter day, as far as Jean was concerned. The topic of their two-month anniversary hadn't come up between Scott and Jean the previous day, so Jean wasn't expecting anything when there was a knock on her bedroom door shortly after dinner.

"C'mon in," Jean called from her place on the bed.

"Hey," Scott greeted as he entered her room. At the sound of his voice, Jean looked up from the textbook she was reading.

"Hey," she replied with a breath-taking smile. "What's up?"

"Oh, not much," he told her with a shrug. "Just wondering if you might have someplace to put these." With that he produced a bouquet of roses from behind his back. Jean's eyes went wide.

"Oh, Scott – they're beautiful!" she exclaimed, jumping off the bed and rushing over to him. 

"Happy two-month anniversary," he said softly before kissing her. When he released her from the kiss, Jean glanced up at him, an eyebrow arched suspiciously.

"You remembered?" she asked.

Scott flushed and scratched the back of his head nervously. "Um, actually Kurt reminded me," he admitted.

Jean giggled. "Don't worry, Kitty had to point it out to me."

She took the flowers from Scott and raised them to her nose, inhaling deeply "Hmmmm, gorgeous," she said in approval. "Five yellow and two red?"

"A yellow one for each year we've been friends, a red one for each month we've been together," he explained, slightly embarrassed. 

"I had no idea you were such a romantic," Jean told him with a grin, touched that he'd given it so much thought. "I love them, thank you. And I love _you."_

Scott couldn't help but return her smile. "I love you, too. Now get some warm clothes on and let's go skating."

Jean grinned wider and reached up to kiss him. "You really are wonderful," she told him before ushering him out of her room. "I'll meet you downstairs in five minutes."

"I didn't plan on us having so much company," Scott admitted as he and Jean leisurely glided around the lake. Several other students were playing hockey on one side of the lake, while a handful of others were horsing around in the same general area he and Jean were skating.

"Don't worry about it," Jean reassured him, squeezing his hand. 

"Crap! Heads up!" one of the hockey players shouted. Jean glanced up and was able to quickly put up a TK shield to keep Amara from being decapitated by a run-away puck. 

The younger girl looked at Jean in wide-eyed relief. "Jean, thank you so much! I didn't even see it coming."

"Guys, come on, be a little more careful!" Scott hollered to the boys.

"Do you ever feel like our _real_ job as X-men is just to keep the younger students from killing each other?" Jean asked as she and Scott resumed skating.

Scott chuckled. "All the time, Jean, all the time."

They'd stayed outside for a while longer, but finally got tired of the crowd and retreated to the mansion. Jean led Scott back up to her room, and closed the door behind them. Scott regarded her quizzically. 

"Take your shirt off," she ordered gently. 

His eyebrows shot up so high they practically disappeared under his fringe of bangs. "Huh?"

Jean smirked. "Down, boy. Take your shirt off and lie on the bed."

Scott was confused, but obeyed. Although he'd been shirtless around Jean many times over the years, he felt self-conscious undressing in front of her. He realized, however, that he wasn't necessarily uncomfortable, he just was hoping she would approve of what she saw. Jean half watched him remove his shirt, then disappeared into her little bathroom while Scott toed off his shoes and made himself comfortable on her bed. When Jean emerged, he was leaning against the head board, arms crossed across his bare chest. Jean glanced at him approvingly, admiring his defined muscles. She used her telekinesis to turn off the bright overhead light and to turn on her softer desk lamp, leaving the room in a dusky darkness.

"Ok, on your stomach," she told him. Scott looked unsure as he slid down the bed and flipped over. He felt the bed dip as Jean climbed up, and was surprised when instead of settling next to him, she straddled his hips and sat lightly on his butt.

"What are you doing?" he asked, trying to twist around to see her.

"Lie still," Jean ordered. "This is my two-month anniversary gift to you." He did as he was told, and was rewarded by the amazing sensation of Jean's cool hands on his warm skin. She barely touched him, methodically skimming her hands up and down his back soothingly. She slowly increased the pressure, moving up and down his back in long smooth strokes. Scott moaned in contentment and let himself sink deeper into the mattress. Jean chuckled.

"You like that, huh?" she asked softly.

"Hmmmm-hmmmmm," was all he could say.

"I know you strained something in your back during training this morning – even though you tried to hide it," Jean said, scolding him just a little bit. "I thought this might help loosen things up."

Scott groaned as she started working a particularly tender spot, and Jean fought back a grin. She was thoroughly enjoying the fact that she was capable of making him emit these groans of pleasure. She paused and Scott made a soft sound of protest.

"Shhhh, I'm not stopping, don't worry," she assured him as she popped the cap on the bottle of lotion she'd retrieved from the bathroom. She rubbed the liquid between her hands to warm it, and resumed her ministrations. 

The lotion allowed Jean's hands to move more smoothly across his skin, to kneed deeper into the muscles and alleviate the tension. This was the first time she'd ever touched Scott like this, and she was enjoying her exploration. She loved the way his muscles felt under her fingers, how soft and warm his skin was. His body was relaxing beneath her, his breathing slowing and growing deeper as he submitted himself to her. 

Jean reapplied the lotion, then allowed her hands to move all the way up Scott's back to his shoulders and neck. She gently pulled down on his shoulders, lowering them from their position up around his ears, easing the tension. 

"Oh God," Scott moaned softly. "That feels _so incredible, Jean."_

Jean's body flashed hot and her stomach dropped at the tone of his voice. The wave of desire that washed over her was almost overwhelming. All of a sudden she wanted to kiss him until they couldn't think straight. She wanted to strip him naked and run her hands over his whole body, and have him do the same to her. 

_No, Jean, stop it. Scott needs this – you're helping him feel better. Just behave, she ordered herself angrily. _

_But you could help him feel even **better if you flipped him over and ravaged him, a naughty little voice whispered from deep inside herself.**_

_Stop it! Nice girls don't do things like that, Jean argued back._

_To hell with that! What fun is it being a 'nice girl', anyway? Be a little bit bad, Jean – you owe it to yourself…and to Scott, the naughty voice said enticingly. _You want him, you know he wants you – there's nothing stopping you. Why not make your two-month anniversary really memorable...?__

Jean bit her lip as a silent war was waged between her conscience and her libido, but continued massaging Scott's shoulders and back. Before she knew it, she had leaned forward and placed a lingering kiss between his shoulder blades. And then another. And another.

"Scott...?" Jean whispered, nuzzling that spot gently.

No response.

"Scott?" she said his name again a little bit louder and sat up slightly, glancing down at his face. His lips were slightly parted, and he was breathing deeply and evenly. He was fast asleep.

Jean stared down at him in disbelief for several long seconds. Finally she shook her head and chuckled. _It figures,_ she thought in frustrated amusement. 

Climbing off of her perch atop Scott's rump, she slipped off the bed and into the bathroom to prepare for sleep. Scott hadn't moved by the time she was done, and she didn't have the heart to wake him. Instead she used her TK to lift Scott enough to pull back the covers, then climbed into bed next to him, pulling the blankets up over them. She draped an arm across his waist and kissed his shoulder. 

_Next time, Scott, she promised silently. _

~~

**_Feedback keeps my muse happy!_**


	17. Chapter 16

_Ok, a tiny warning: the first part of this chapter is probably a little more…**mature than PG-13 (I'm still a little iffy on the whole ratings system thing). There's nothing **too** graphic, mind you, but it's definitely more adult, so I felt I should include a warning. Please read responsibly!  **_: )

**_Chapter 16_**

Scott ran his hand along Jean's side and down over the soft swell of her hip. Her leg was hitched up and draped over his thigh, one of her hands on his khakis-clad ass, urging him closer. He obliged, rolling slightly so that he was on top of her, cradled between her thighs. They both groaned softly at the intimate contact, and Jean threaded her fingers through Scott's hair to kiss him harder. Without conscious thought, Scott shifted his hips, rotating gently to increase the pressure he so desperately craved. Jean gasped and released his lips, arching her body and reveling in the new sensations Scott's movement had produced.

"Oh God," she whispered, eyes closed and head thrown back against the pillow. 

Scott kissed her exposed neck and repeated the motion with his hips, and was delighted when Jean shifted her hips to counter-match his movements. They repeated the move several more times, the excitement building in them until Jean gently rolled Scott off of her so that they faced each other. 

Ever so slowly Jean's hand slid around over Scott's hip and tentatively slipped between them. He sucked in a breath as cautious but curious fingers danced over the front of his pants, up and down his hard length, and he bit his lip to keep from thrusting into her hand.

"Jean," he rasped, before reclaiming her lips.

Emboldened by his response, Jean cupped him fully and squeezed gently. This time Scott couldn't restrain himself, and thrust his hips forward with a soft grunt.

*That feels so good,* he sent to her, unable to bring himself to break the kiss. She responded by stroking him more firmly, and Scott thought he would lose his mind.

"Jean, stop – please," he begged, pulling away from her. 

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry," she said quickly, confused. "Did I hurt you?"

"God no," Scott choked out a laugh. "It just felt _too good."_

Realization dawned on her and she blushed. "Do you want me to keep going?" she asked shyly.

"God I love you," he chuckled and kissed her deeply. "Yes, I'd love for you to keep going; but I don't want this to be a one way street, so until you're ready to let me reciprocate, we'll stop before things get out of hand."

"No pun intended," Jean said wryly with a smile. Scott laughed and kissed the tip of her nose. "You're not disappointed, are you?" she asked softly.

"It would be impossible for you to _ever disappoint me," he told her, looking into her eyes._

Rapid knocking on Scott's bedroom door startled them both.

"What?" he called from the bed, not wanting to leave Jean's arms.

"Scott, we, like, need a favor," Kitty called.

Scott sighed dramatically and let his head flop down onto the pillow as he rolled onto his back. "Who's 'we' and what kind of favor?"

"Me and Amara. There's, like, a totally huge sale at the mall this afternoon, and we, like, don't have anyone to drive us," she replied from behind the closed door. 

Scott groaned in frustration, and Jean giggled. "What are you laughing at?" he demanded. "If I have to go, you're coming, too." He then called to Kitty, "Fine, be ready to go in 20!"

"You're, like, totally awesome, Scott! Thank you so much!" Kitty squealed and they could hear her run off down the hall calling, "He said he'll take us!"

"You're a good man, Scott Summers," Jean said and kissed him before climbing off the bed. "I'll meet you downstairs."

Scott and Jean strolled through the mall hand-in-hand, unhurried; they still had a couple of hours to kill before they were to rendezvous with the younger girls. They browsed in a couple of clothing stores, but didn't see anything worth buying. Wandering past a card shop, Scott eyed the garish decorations – hearts and cupids and teddy bears galore – and wondered what he should get Jean for their first Valentine's Day together. He was a little disappointed, and apprehensive, that they'd be spending the whole holiday weekend with Jean's family, as Sara's wedding was on February 14. Still, he was determined to make the day special for the two of them; he just wasn't sure how to accomplish that.

Jean dragged Scott into a huge bookstore, her favorite shop in the mall. Scott found Jean's passion for books charming. The very first day he'd met her, she'd informed him that reading was one of her favorite pastimes, and though he hadn't been able to see the expression on her face, he had clearly heard the silent challenge daring him to make fun of her love of reading. It was only later that he learned Jean's defensiveness was a result of constant teasing, first by her mother and sister calling her a bookworm, and then by her schoolmates who considered her bookishness just another attempt at being a brown-noser or teacher's pet. Scott watched now as Jean poured over the newest science books, sitting cross-legged on the floor as she worked through the stack of books she'd removed from the shelves. He listened attentively as Jean excitedly summarized the topic of each book, even though most of it over his head; he just loved to watch how her face lit up as she spoke of the latest scientific breakthroughs, her passion evident. Jean finally selected several to buy, then they moved on to the art section, where Scott helped her choose between two very expensive coffee table books of Monet's paintings as Sara's wedding gift from the two of them. Finally they worked their way through the fiction section, where they found a number of novels to take home with them. They then grabbed coffee at the in-store Starbucks stand and continued their meandering trip through the mall.

"Oh, before I forget, let's go into the pharmacy. I need to get some makeup to wear for the wedding," Jean said making a face as she steered Scott through the entrance.

Knowing that it could be a while before Jean had selected what she'd need, Scott wandered aimlessly up and down the aisles, eventually finding himself standing in front of the contraception section at the back of the store. He glanced at it warily, as if the boxes had somehow drawn him there without his knowledge or permission. With a quick look over both shoulders to make sure no-one he knew was nearby, Scott returned his focus to the products in front of him. After their make-out session that morning, Scott was fairly confident it wouldn't be too much longer before Jean was ready for the next step.

_Better safe than sorry,_ he told himself as he scanned the labels on the boxes. His brow furrowed. _Why are there so many damn choices? You'd think a condom was a condom. What the hell's up with all the different styles?_ He finally made his choice, and plucked the box off the shelf.

"Whatcha lookin' at?"

Scott whipped around at the sound of Jean's voice, hiding the condoms behind his back. She was trying to peer around him, and Scott kept shifting to block her view.

"Nothing interesting," he tried to assure her. 

"Then why won't you show me?" she asked with a pout. Scott regarded her suspiciously, knowing that tone of voice all too well. The pout was becoming harder for Jean to sustain, the corners of her mouth twitching as she fought the smile that was trying to emerge.

"You're enjoying making me squirm, aren't you?" he asked with a scowl.

Jean finally lost the battle and grinned widely. "Yup. You were thinking _really_ loudly, Mr. Summers."

Scott blushed and shot her a dirty look, causing Jean to laugh out loud. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't be making fun. You're just so cute when you're caught with your hand in the cookie jar, or so to speak." She stood on her tip toes and kissed him lightly.

"You're not mad?" he asked.

"Why would I be mad? You're doing the responsible thing and thinking ahead," Jean told him with a shrug.

"I just don't want you to think that I'm assuming anything…"

"Scott, I told you it would only be a matter of time before it happened," she told him in a quiet voice, not wanting to be overheard. "And especially after this morning, you're not being presumptuous, you're being responsible. Isn't 'Be Prepared' the motto of all good Boy Scouts?" she teased.

Scott scowled at her again. He hated being referred to as a Boy Scout, and she knew it. It was something Logan had started years ago, and to Scott's dismay the label had stuck.

"But you can put those back," Jean told him. "We don't need them."

Scott looked at her questioningly, but did as he was told. 

"I'm on the Pill," she admitted softly. 

Scott's eyebrows shot up in surprise. "You are?"

Jean nodded. "I've been on it for years – but for medical reasons, not as birth control," she explained quickly. "So we're covered."

Scott looked at her for a long moment. "Do you find it strange that we're even having this conversation?"

Jean chuckled softly. "Yeah, it's a little bit odd. But don't they say that if you're not mature enough to talk about sex, you're not mature enough to have it?"

"That's not what I meant," he said quietly. "I mean, this is _us_. We're discussing birth control, and we're planning to sleep together." Scott reached out and took her hand, squeezing it gently. "I guess I just can't believe that we're really together – that this is all real."

 Jean smiled up at him and squeezed back. "This is real," she assured him. "You and I, _we're real. And for the record, I've never been happier."_

Scott couldn't speak right away, his emotions were so close to the surface. *I love you,* he sent to her.

*And I love you,* she replied, her smile radiating from her eyes. *Never doubt it, and never forget it.*  

~~

**_Feedback for the poor, feedback for the poor! Please give feedback to the poor!_**

**_(In case I'm not being clear, I'm "the poor" in question.)   ; )___**


	18. Chapter 17

_Once again, THANK YOU to my faithful reviewers! I love you all dearly!  _: )   _And__ a special THANKS to Julie for letting me pick her brain...repeatedly._

****

**_Chapter 17_**

It was the Monday before Sara's wedding, and after school Scott had taken Jean to her final dress fitting. Jean was in a foul mood as they returned to the Institute, dreading her role of maid of honor.

"I don't know why you wouldn't let me see it," Scott said, still confused over Jean's adamancy that he not see the dress. "I'll see it at the wedding, after all."

Jean glared at him. "Yeah, you and everyone else. My sister's evil, and I _will make her pay for the humiliation I'll suffer on Saturday."_

Scott chuckled. "Jean, you could wear a burlap sack and still look great."

"Trust me, I'd prefer a burlap sack. I have to wear a freakin' _corset under that damn dress, Scott!" she whined and pushed open the Institute's front door._

"Jean! I've been, like, dying for you to get home!" Kitty squealed as soon as she saw them. 

"Why?" she asked, brow furrowed. 

"You got some, like, really important looking mail," Kitty informed her with a grin, holding out a large white envelope. The Columbia University logo was emblazoned in the top left corner.

"Oh, thanks, Kitty," Jean said, snatching the envelope from the other girl's hand and hurriedly stuffing it in her book bag. She failed to hide it away before Scott caught sight of it.

"Columbia?" Scott asked, cocking an eyebrow at Jean.

Kitty stared at her in disbelief. "Aren't you going to, like, open it?"

Jean shrugged. "It's probably just junk mail."

"Jean! You can't be serious!" Kitty exclaimed, eyes wide.

"I'll see you at dinner, Kitty," Jean said casually as she and Scott headed for the stairs, leaving the young girl staring after them, her mouth open in shock.

Jean was silent as they climbed to the second floor, but could feel Scott's eyes on her. He followed her into her room, closing the door and leaning against it with his arms crossed over his chest.

"You gonna open the letter?" he asked.

"No."

"Jean," he began in a warning tone. 

"What?" she demanded, staring steadily at him, her arms mirroring Scott's pose.

"Let me see it."

"No."

"Goddammit, Jean," Scott grumbled and started moving towards her bag.

"Don't even think about it," she warned him, using her telekinesis to float the bag to her waiting hand.

"Cut it out," he ordered, his temper fraying. "Open the letter."

"No! I told you, it's nothing – just junk mail. It's none of your business, anyway," she snapped, letting her defensiveness turn to anger. 

Scott looked as if she'd slapped him. "As my _girlfriend, I thought maybe your college stuff _was_ my business." He stared at her, shaking his head slowly. "Obviously I was mistaken – about a lot of things – because you're actually looking me in the eye and lying. I can't believe this," he muttered angrily before turning on his heel and storming out of Jean's room._

Jean flinched, knowing that Scott prized honesty above almost anything else. "Shit," she muttered to herself after he slammed the door shut behind him. "Shit shit shit!" With the final expletive, her TK inadvertently flung her book bag across the room and slammed it into her dresser, knocking over knick-knacks and spilling the bag's contents onto the floor. Fighting back tears of shame and anger, she stared at the offending envelope now lying on her carpet.

_You're an idiot, Jean,_ she scolded herself. _And you might have just completely blown it with Scott, _she added sadly.

Jean skipped dinner that night, unable to face Scott after their fight. Which was why, at just after midnight, she was sitting in the kitchen eating ice cream straight from the carton. She was too absorbed in her own thoughts to hear the footsteps approaching until the door started to swing open. Glancing up quickly and catching a glimpse of Scott, Jean used her TK to push the door shut, keeping him out. She didn't think she was ready to talk to him quite yet.

"Jean, let me in," he called quietly through the door, pushing against it again, and meeting the same resistance. He sighed loud enough for her to hear. "Come on, Jean, the kitchen's communal property – you can't keep people out."

It was a weak argument, and they both knew it; but Jean released her hold on the door and Scott pushed his way into the room. He took in the picture Jean presented in her fuzzy slippers and oversized robe, curled up in the kitchen's window seat with a liter of Oreo ice cream. She was staring out at the softly falling snow, nibbling the ice cream off her spoon, and his anger dissipated significantly. After opening a drawer and taking out a spoon of his own, he tentatively traversed the kitchen to stand next to her. 

"Is this seat taken?" he asked, motioning to the other half of the padded bench. Jean didn't look at him, but shook her head.

_Well, at least she didn't hurl the ice cream carton at my head,_ he mused to himself.

"Don't think I didn't consider it," she muttered. He raised an eyebrow at her, mild disapproval on his face, and she looked contrite.

"Sorry, I've just been particularly tuned in to you lately," she apologized. "And you really _are_ a loud thinker."

"I don't focus my mental shields around you as much as I should," Scott told her.  He dug his spoon into the ice cream, stuffing a large spoonful in his mouth. They sat in silence for a long time.

"Why didn't you tell me you applied to Columbia?" he finally asked.

"Because I knew you'd freak out, so I didn't think it was worth mentioning," she relented. "I didn't think I'd get in, let alone be offered early admission."

Scott chuffed out a laugh. "Jean, you got a 1560 on your SATs. You could pretty much go to any college you wanted."

Jean said nothing and continued to stare out the window. 

"So, why Columbia? It's probably the only school we discussed that I won't be able to get into," he trailed off slowly, as that sank in. "Is that it? You want to go to Columbia because you know I won't be going there?"

"No!" Jean said quickly, turning to look at him for the first time, revealing dried tears on her cheeks. "Oh, Scott, of course not!" She was horrified that he would think such a thing. 

"Why, then?"

She sighed and looked back out the window. "I've been thinking more and more about what I want to do with my life. As much as I love being part of the X-men, I need to do more – I need to _be more."_

"I don't understand. I thought Professor X's dream and the team were important to you," he said, unable to keep the accusation out of his voice. 

"They _are_, Scott, you know that. That's why I've been thinking about what I can contribute _in addition to being part of the team." Scott waited for her to continue. "I want to know why we exist – why mutants exist. I want to study genetics and find out how and why mutations occur. I want to be able to prove to the world that we're not freaks at all, that we're a natural evolutionary step. I want to help mutants and humans understand each other."_

"But can't you study biology anywhere?"

"Yes," she admitted, nodding slowly. "But Columbia has such incredible facilities, and such an exceptional reputation, and the medical school is right there if I decide to go that route. Add that to the fact that Columbia's within commuting distance from the Institute and it's perfect."

"It's almost an hour and a half away, Jean, that's hardly commuting distance," he said sadly. 

"I'd be willing to commute if we were here together," she told him, reaching out to grasp his hand. Her fingers were cold from holding the ice cream container. "Scott, I'm sorry about earlier, I really am. I love you, you know that, right?"

He looked at her steadily, the faint glow from the snow reflecting through the window and off his glasses, making it impossible for Jean to search out his eyes. Finally he nodded. "Well, I suppose I could go somewhere close by – Manhattanville College has a pretty good Mathematics program."

Smiling, Jean felt her eyes well up with tears of relief. "They also offer a degree in Education – you could teach here after graduation," she suggested, knowing that it was an idea he'd been toying with for a while.

A single tear escaped and dropped onto Jean's cheek. Scott reached out and cupped her face, brushing the tear away with his thumb. "What's wrong?" he asked.

Jean shook her head and smiled at him. "As long as we're still ok, nothing's wrong," she said softly.

"We're still ok," he reassured her, leaning down to capture her lips. They tasted ice cream on each other and started giggling. They rested their foreheads together, as they had the night of their first date, after their first kiss. 

"I'm sorry," Scott told her. "I'm sorry I acted like such a jerk."

"I'm sorry I was such a bitch," she replied, quirking her lips. "We're quite a pair, aren't we?"

"Yes, we are," he agreed, smiling. "As a matter of fact, I think we're the perfect pair."

"Hmmmm. I couldn't agree more," she said, kissing him again.

"We need sleep, though." Sliding off the bench, Scott took the ice cream carton from Jean's hands and returned it to the freezer. He then took her hand and led her up the stairs.

"Do you think the Professor will let us move in together once we start college?" Scott asked with a lopsided grin as they stood outside Jean's door. 

"We'll just have to see, won't we?" Jean replied impishly. "G'night."

Their kiss was light and sweet, apologetic and full of promise. "Love you," Scott murmured before letting her go.

"Love you. Now go to sleep." With that, Jean shooed him towards his own room. As he reached his door, he turned and saw that she was still watching him from her doorway.

*What?* he sent.

*Would you really want to move in together?* she sent back.

*Absolutely. Would _you_?* 

Jean thought about that for a second before answering. *We're jumping ahead a step or two, but yeah, I think I would. Sweet dreams.*

And with thoughts of permanently sharing a room with Jean running through his mind, Scott was confident his dreams would, indeed, be sweet.

~~

**_I'm a feedback junkie!_**


	19. Chapter 18

**_Chapter 18_**

"If you want to get there in enough time to go skiing or something before the rehearsal, we have to leave _now." Perched on the corner of Jean's desk, Scott watched as she hurried around her room, stuffing odds and ends into her small suitcase._

"I know, I know," Jean muttered, finally zipping the bag closed. "Ok, I think I've got everything."

"Wedding gift?"

"In my suitcase."

"Dress?"

She made a face. "In the car with your suit."

"Then are we good to go?" he asked, getting to his feet and picking up Jean's suitcase.

"Yeah, I guess," Jean said reluctantly.

Professor Xavier had excused Scott and Jean from their Friday classes so that they could have an extra day to relax – he considered it a well-deserved break for his two eldest students. It was still early in the morning, so the roads were quiet as they made their way to the quiet country resort where Sarah's wedding was being held.

Elaine Grey had been determined to make the wedding of her eldest daughter the social event of the season, and no expense was spared. Every room in the resort had been reserved for wedding guests. Scott and Jean checked into their own rooms, discovering that they were the first of the guests to arrive. Scott met Jean in her room after he'd finished unpacking.

"So what do you want to do now?" Scott asked, reclining on the bed and patting the mattress next to him invitingly.

Jean smiled crookedly and slowly sauntered towards him. "Well, there is one thing I was thinking about," she told him shyly. 

"And what might that be?" he asked hopefully, a big smile on his face as she climbed up onto the bed.

"I've always wanted to go riding in a snow covered forest," she whispered in his ear, her lips twitching as she fought a grin.

"When you say 'riding', you're talking about horses, aren't you?" he asked.

Jean burst out laughing, not even having considered the other possible meaning. "Yeah, sorry – I meant horseback riding," she smiled down at him apologetically. "They've got a stable on the property, and everything. Want to?"

"Why not?" Scott agreed, defeated.

After an afternoon of horseback riding and cross-country skiing through the beautifully snowy woods that surrounded the resort, Jean was dreading the weekend much less. As long as Scott was with her, everything would be fine – or so she hoped.

They strolled towards the lobby after returning their skis, Scott's arm around her shoulders and Jean's arm around his waist. Scott kissed her temple tenderly. 

"What was that for?" she asked, smiling up at him.

"I just wanted to kiss you," he explained simply. "I'm allowed to do that, right?"

"Always," she grinned, wrapping her other arm around his waist from the front to hug him. Suddenly, she stopped walking, jarring Scott. "Oh, man, here we go," she murmured.

"Jean! You're here all ready," Elaine Grey gushed as she swept across the lobby to greet them. Gathering her daughter in a quick embrace, she kissed her cheek lightly before turning to Scott. "I'm glad you could join us this weekend, Scott," she said, and gave him an equally brief hug.

"It's nice to see you again, Mrs. Grey," Scott told her, forcing a smile. The woman always made him uncomfortable – almost as uncomfortable as she made Jean feel.

"Daddy!" Jean called, slipping past her mother and running into her father's waiting arms. 

Dr. John Grey was a tall stately man with kind eyes. He was one of those people who always made an effort to make people feel at ease. After hugging Jean fiercely, he turned to Scott with a warm smile. "Good to see you, son," he said, extending his arm and shaking Scott's hand firmly. "Have you been taking good care of my baby girl?"

"I do my best, sir, but she doesn't make it easy," Scott admitted with a chuckle.

"That's my girl," Dr. Grey laughed. "Are you kids settled in?"

Before either could answer, Elaine reminded everyone of her presence. "John, we have things to do, we can't stand here chit-chatting all day."

John glanced at Jean and shared a conspiratorial wink before saying, "Of course, dear."

"What do you need us to do, mom?" Jean asked.

"Nothing, darling, not until the rehearsal tonight," Elaine admitted distractedly. "Why aren't Sara and Paul here yet?"

John dutifully followed his wife as she hurried away. "Seven o'clock, Jean. Don't be late!" Elaine called back over her shoulder.

"Sometimes I really wish I was adopted," Jean muttered, making Scott laugh.

The rehearsal started promptly at 7:00, as per Elaine's strict schedule. Although Jean had assured Scott he didn't have to attend this particular event, he went as moral support. He took a seat near the back of the room and watched in amusement as Jean and the other girls were ushered through the motions of the practice ceremony. 

"Which one are you with?" a voice suddenly asked from beside Scott.

Scott turned quickly and came face to face with a young man who bore a strong resemblance to Jean's father. 

"Uh, Jean," Scott stammered in reply.

"Ah! So you're Scott, then. Excellent!" the young man broke into a broad grin and extended his hand. "I'm Kyle, Jean's cousin. Thank God I found someone worth talking with."

Scott shook his hand, and returned the smile. "How do you know I'm worth talking to?"

"Oh, Jean's told me all about you, my friend," Kyle said with a chuckle that was a little too loud, earning the two of them a harsh "Shhhh!" from the front of the room.

Jean glanced back at Scott, and burst into a grin when she saw him talking with Kyle. Her cousin was leaning in close to Scott, speaking in hushed tones. Kyle caught her eye and winked at her, giving her a subtle thumbs-up signal. Jean fought the giggles that bubbled within her, but lost.

"Is something funny about this ceremony, young lady?" the officiate demanded of Jean.

Jean's eyes snapped forward and her face was instantly serious. "No, ma'am, I'm sorry," she muttered, her eyes downcast. Her eyes always gave her away when she was lying.

When the rehearsal finally ended, Jean quickly made her way towards Scott and Kyle. 

"Hey, stranger," Jean greeted her cousin with a warm hug. "Was he bugging you?" she jokingly asked Scott, motioning to Kyle with her head.

"I was on my best behavior, I promise," Kyle informed her before Scott could reply. "Have you two eaten yet?"

Scott and Jean shook their heads. "Excellent! Let me track down Darcy, then we can have dinner together," he announced.

Dinner was lively and entertaining, and Scott found himself liking Jean's cousin and his date immensely. Scott found himself regaled with stories of the Grey clan, and more importantly, of Jean as a mischievous young girl.

"It's nice to know you haven't changed much since you were six," Scott told her with a grin as he escorted her to her room later that night. "Always getting into trouble."

Jean snorted. "If you knew half the things Kyle's done over the years, you'd realize that I was actually the _good one." _

"Is there any way we can tamper with the seating plan to make sure we sit with Kyle and Darcy tomorrow night?"

"I think that could be arranged," Jean agreed with a grin. "You really hit it off with them, didn't you?"

Scott nodded. "Yeah. They're a great couple."

"Couple?" Jean repeated with a laugh. "They're not a couple, Scott. They're a real life _Will & Grace."_

Scott stopped in his tracks, his jaw slack in surprise. "What?"

"Kyle's gay, Scott. I thought you'd picked up on that."

Shaking his head, Scott continued walking. "I didn't have a clue."

"Don't tell me you're homophobic," Jean said disdainfully.

"Of course not," he said emphatically, offended that she'd even considered it a possibility. "Is Kyle 'out'?"

"Yes. The fact that my powers had manifested a few years before made it a lot easier for him to come out. I think his parents were actually relieved – at least he wasn't a _mutant_," Jean explained with a half smile. "We kind of bonded as the two black sheep of the family."

They stopped walking in front of Jean's room. "So," Scott said in a low voice, stepping closer to her and wrapping his arms around her.

"So?" Jean repeated, raising an eyebrow questioningly.

"Wanna fool around for a while?"

Jean reached up and drew him down to meet her lips. "Yes, I want to fool around," she told him between kisses. "I want to do a lot more than fool around."

Scott pulled away and looked down at her. "But…?"

"But not tonight," she finished, smiling sadly. "My mom will be looking for me early in the morning, and I wouldn't want her to find us in bed together. And don't say that you could go back to your room afterward, because I wouldn't want to go to sleep without you beside me."

"You're killing me here, Jean," Scott admitted with a kiss. "Just tell me 'good night' and send me to my room."

Jean kissed him again, longingly. "Good night, Scott."

~~

**_Feedback is sweeter than chocolate, and I have a very demanding sweet tooth!_**


	20. Chapter 19

**_Chapter 19_**

Saturday morning, Scott was woken by an insistent knocking on his door. He grumbled as he rolled out of bed, wondering who would be bothering him so early. When he cracked the door open, he found Jean was standing on the other side carrying her bags.

"Mornin' roomie!" she chirped as she pushed her way past him.

"Huh?" Scott asked as his sleepy brain tried to process what was going on.

Jean dropped her luggage by the closet with a thump. "There's been a mix-up. Some cousins showed up who weren't going to come, so we're short a room. I volunteered mine," she explained with an impish look.

"And your mom was ok with you staying with me?" he asked, unable to keep the skepticism out of his voice. Not that he wasn't thrilled that he and Jean would be sharing a room, he just didn't want to incur the wrath of Elaine Grey.

Jean shrugged and smiled. "She wasn't overly thrilled, I don't think, but she was relieved to have the problem solved. That said, I've got to go – make-up and hair and other horrible girly stuff to be done with the rest of the bridal party. I have no idea when I'll be back, but you've got plenty of time – we need to be ready to go in just under four hours, ok?" She gave him a quick peck on the lips before scooting past him again.

Scott could do nothing more than watch Hurricane Jean blow out of his room. 

"Oh, and Scott?" she called, poking her head back in before she could close the door.

"Yeah?"

"Happy Valentine's Day," she said with a dazzling smile. "I love you."

"Love you too," he told her with a bemused grin.

Jean stepped into the resort's beauty salon and entered into chaos. She'd never seen anything like it: hair being fussed with by stylists, make-up being caked on, and she could hear nothing but the inane tittering of the girls about how gorgeous Sara would look. She shook her head in disgust. _How can Sara be friends with these girls? They're brain-dead socialites._

"Jean, _there_ you are!" Elaine greeted her. "We were wondering where you'd gotten to. Come, you're next in line for hair."

"I had to get my bags out of my room so that Susan and Richard could get settled in – but you _knew_ that," Jean reminded gently as her mother ushered her across the room and into a chair. 

"Goodness, look at all that gorgeous red hair!" a woman – the hairstylist, Jean presumed – gushed as she flounced over to where Jean was sitting. "Oh, I know just what to do with you!"

Jean shuddered imperceptibly and resigned herself to her fate.

"Ok, so they didn't do as much damage as I expected," Jean admitted as Scott let her back into his room later that morning. 

"You look great," Scott confirmed, smiling appreciatively. She was wearing more makeup than he was used to seeing on her, but it was done tastefully. Her hair was down, as he liked it best, and was hanging in a mass of loose ringlets down her back. 

Jean rolled her eyes. "I wouldn't go that far." She grabbed her garment bag out of the closet and headed for the washroom. "The best is yet to come," she told him dryly.

Scott waited patiently for her to emerge, laughing silently at the muttered curses coming from the bathroom. 

"You have to promise not to laugh," she called from behind the closed door.

"I promise."

The door opened a crack, and Jean peered out. "Do you _really promise?"_

"Yes, Jean, I _really_ promise," he agreed, grinning at her.

Taking a deep breath, Jean opened the door and stepped into the room. Scott's jaw just about hit the floor, and laughing was the furthest thing from his mind.

She was simply stunning. The dress was deep red satin, sleeveless and tight through the body with a full skirt that brushed the ground. It was very low cut, revealing an impressive amount of cleavage.

Jean squirmed under his intense gaze. "I told you it was awful."

"'Awful' is probably the last word I would use," Scott admitted when he finally found his voice. "Jean, my god, I've never seen you look so incredible."

Skeptical, Jean cocked an eyebrow at him and placed her hands on her hips. "You've got to be kidding."

Scott just shook his head. "You're beautiful."

"The dress is almost obscene, Scott! I feel naked from the waist up!" she exclaimed, motioning angrily at her chest. 

He approached her slowly, and took her in his arms. "Jean, please believe me when I say you look amazing. You have absolutely nothing to be self-conscious about."

The look on Jean's face told him that she wanted to believe him, but couldn't quite. She smiled softly, though, and kissed him. "Thank you," Jean whispered. "Just consider the dress your Valentine's Day gift."

"I'd rather consider the dress the wrapping, and _you_ as my gift," he quipped with a lopsided grin. 

The comment had the desired effect, and Jean started laughing. 

*****

Even Jean had to admit that the ceremony was lovely, and the bride and groom seemed deliriously happy. After a painful afternoon of posing for endless photos with the wedding party, Jean was able to escape and spend some time with Scott.

"Mademoiselle Satine, you look lovely! Will the Duke be joining you tonight, or will you be retiring to the elephant with Christian?" Kyle asked with a grin as he and Darcy came up to where Jean and Scott were sitting in the banquet hall.

"Bite me, gay boy," Jean told him with a sweet smile as Scott laughed.

"Christ, you're dead on, Kyle – that's exactly who she looks like in that outfit," Darcy grinned. 

"_Et tu_, Darcy?" Jean glared at the other girl with accusing eyes.

"_Voulez-vous__ coucher avec moi," Kyle sang, and Darcy joined in._

"You're a dead man," Jean growled, leaping out of her chair and lunging at her cousin. Kyle hooted with laughter and ran away. Jean paused long enough to kick off her high-heeled shoes before giving chase. 

"Jean! Kyle! Stop this instant!" Elaine Grey shrieked as they ran past her and out of the room. "This is neither the time, nor the place for such behavior!" They paid her no heed.

"She's gonna hurt him if she catches him, isn't she?" Darcy asked Scott.

"Yup," he replied with a smirk, leaning back in his chair.

Darcy's gaze shifted from Scott to the doorway and back to Scott. "And she's _gonna_ catch him, isn't she?"

"Oh yeah."

Darcy absorbed that for a moment. "Should we follow them?"

"Um, no," Scott said with a laugh.

Darcy shrugged and nodded. "Sounds like a plan to me," she said with a grin and sat down next to Scott to wait.

The rest of the reception was much less eventful. As it turned out, no tampering with the seating plan had been required, as Scott and Jean had all ready been assigned to the same table as Kyle and Darcy. The Grey cousins basically behaved themselves for the rest of the evening, though the banter between the two remained lively. 

Once the dancing began, Scott and Jean spent much of their time on the dance floor, more as an excuse to hold each other than out of any true desire to dance. They only stopped to take brief rests, at which point they would retreat to a dark corner and exchange some brief – and passionate – kisses before reluctantly returning to the party.

When the dance floor was cleared for the removal of the garter and the tossing of the bouquet, Scott left Jean at their table while he went to get fresh drinks. When he returned, Jean was nowhere to be seen. He scanned the room and noticed one of the French doors leading the veranda was open just a crack. Sure enough, when he went to investigate he found Jean outside, arms wrapped around herself for warmth as snow flakes gently fell around her.

"You're crazy, Jean," Scott muttered as he joined her. He slipped off his suit jacket and draped it over her shoulders, encircling her from behind with his arms for added warmth.

"Hey," she greeted, leaning her head back against his chest and melting into his warmth.

"Hey yourself," he said and kissed her neck. "What're you doing out here?"

"Just getting some air," she replied lazily, closing her eyes. "It was getting stuffy in there."

She was quiet for a moment. "I'm sorry this is how we had to spend Valentine's Day," she told him softly.

"It's fine, Jean. As long as we're spending the day together, I'm happy. Aren't you having a good time?"

"Only because you're here," she told him, turning in his arms so she could look up at him. She reached up and cupped his cheek, rubbing her thumb over his jaw and feeling the light growth of a day's worth of stubble. He leaned down and kissed her, and her arms snaked up and around his neck. The kiss went on for long minutes, snow flurries fluttering around them. 

*Scott?* Jean said his name softly into his head, nibbling on his lips. When she had his attention, she continued. *Let's go up to our room.* 

*You're tired?* he asked, a bit disappointed. 

*No,* she replied, pulling away from his kiss and lifting her eyes to meet his. *I want us to go upstairs so we can get out of these clothes.* 

Scott couldn't look away as her implication became clear. *You mean...?*

She smiled, not breaking eye contact. *Yes.*

~~

**_Feed me, Seymour! _**

**_Actually, FEED ME reviews and you'll SEE MORE chapters. Hee hee, aren't I clever to come up with that little play on words? Ok, I know, I know – I'm a sad, pathetic little writer.   ; )_**

**_Quick Author's note: For those of you wondering, yes, Kyle Grey is an original character. _**

****


	21. Chapter 20

_First order of business: a big THANK YOU to **eternalsailorsolarwind**** for being my beta for this chapter. You made my first experience with a beta of any kind completely painless! "Lowly fangirl" or not, you still rock!  : )**_

_Ok, here's my dilemma. The following chapter isn't PG-13, but I don't think it's really R, either – it's in that nasty nether-region somewhere in between. So here's the disclaimer: _

_There's stuff coming up in this chapter that might be a little much for impressionable young readers, and I wouldn't want to be held responsible for the corruption of a minor. Although who am I kidding – I'm sure most of you have read much more graphic stuff that what's in this chapter. So, be warned that there are adult situations ahead, but know that I've tried to keep it as PG-13 as possible. _

**_Chapter 20_**

Scott's heart started pounding faster as he and Jean quickly retrieved her purse from their table and slipped out of the ballroom. He gripped her hand tightly, as if afraid she'd change her mind if he let go. In the little elevator that carried them to the fourth floor, Scott held Jean close to his side. 

"Are you sure?" he asked quietly.

She turned slightly so that she could look at him, and she smiled. "Yes, I'm sure. I want to make love with you."

Scott nearly passed out hearing her say those words. "Jesus, are you trying to kill me?" he muttered as he swayed slightly on his feet.

Jean giggled and pulled him off the elevator as the doors opened. They reached their room and Scott fumbled nervously with the key several times before he inserted it properly into the lock. The door finally opened, and he ushered Jean into the room. 

As soon as the door closed, Scott's arms snaked around Jean's waist from behind, pulling her tightly against him. He buried his face where her neck met her shoulder and just held her for a long moment. Jean leaned back against him and closed her eyes, enjoying his embrace. He shifted ever so slightly and placed a gentle kiss on her bare shoulder. She shivered. Scott kissed her again, a little further over, just before the strap of the dress. One of his arms uncurled from her waist, and she felt gentle fingers slide the strap aside just enough for him to be able to kiss the formerly covered spot. 

Jean let her head fall backwards, exposing her neck. He couldn't refuse the offering, and kissed his way back across her shoulder and up the side of her neck. Scott trailed kisses up along her jaw, and finally Jean turned to meet his kiss, capturing his lips with her own. She turned in his arms, sliding her hands up his chest until they rested on his shoulders. Their heated kisses quickly grew in passion, and clothes were becoming a serious inconvenience.

Scott felt his suit jacket being pushed off his shoulders, and he released Jean long enough for it to slide down his arms and onto the floor. Seemingly of their own accord, Scott's hands found the tiny buttons on the back of Jean's dress, and slowly started undoing them. He got stuck halfway, and Scott reluctantly released her lips in order to turn her around to concentrate on the buttons. When faced with the expanse of pale skin that was revealed, he couldn't help himself. Lifting her hair and laying it over her shoulder, he placed a kiss at the base of her neck. Jean sighed contentedly. Encouraged, Scott placed another kiss an inch further down, and another inch further down, until he encountered the unopened dress. Grasping the first button and the tiny loop that held it, he popped it open, and then the next, until they were all undone. Instead of the bare skin Scott had been expecting, he was met with more red fabric.

"What's this?" he asked softly, running his finger along the top of the garment.

"I told you, we had to wear corsets under the dresses," she replied, her voice breathy.

Intrigued, Scott reached up and cupped Jean's shoulders, caressing the dress straps with his thumbs. Slowly and ever so carefully, he slid the straps off her shoulders and down her arms. With a gentle pull, the dress fell to the floor in a red satin puddle. 

"Is it uncomfortable?" Scott asked as he spanned her waist with his hands, feeling the corset's hard bones under his fingers, and wondering why he hadn't noticed it earlier.

Jean nodded. "Very."

"Can I take it off?" he asked, still nervous.

"If you don't, I'll have to hurt you," she said with a gentle laugh. 

Scott chuckled quietly as he worked the lacing, slowly letting out the tension and allowing Jean to breathe comfortably for the first time in hours. Now the only thing affecting her breathing was the young man behind her. The lace undone, Scott pulled the corset off, and gasped.

"Oh, God…Jean," he whispered, horrified by the angry red welts on her skin. He reached out with trembling fingers and gently traced one of the marks than ran the length of her torso, from below her shoulder blades to just above her hip. "Are they sore?"

"A little tender, but nothing major. I've had much worse after a Danger Room exercise," she told him, trying to reassure him. "That tickles," Jean added and drew away slightly from his touch.

"I'm sorry, I just don't want to hurt you," Scott admitted, pulling his hand away and resting it on her shoulder – a nice safe place.

"The only way you'll hurt me is if you stop touching me," she assured him, urging him to continue his exploration.

Scott obeyed, and returned to his exploration of her now naked back. He ran his hands gently across the expanse of her ribcage, his finger tips brushing against the outer swell of her breasts. Jean arched her back at the contact, and felt heat pooling low in her belly. Growing braver, Scott reached around from behind and gently cupped her bare breasts. She leaned heavily against his chest, her hands running up and down his thighs, clenching at him as he tentatively brushed his thumbs over her nipples.

She turned around and took a step back, facing him in nothing more than her panties. Scott couldn't remember ever seeing anything as beautiful as Jean was at that moment.  She looked away and started to cross her arms across her chest, self-conscious under his scrutiny, but he reached out to stop her.

"Please don't," he begged. "You're just so…there are no words, Jean." 

She looked up at him from beneath her lashes, almost bashfully. Jean uncrossed her arms, and Scott pulled her into an embrace, crushing her to his chest. The sensation of the crisp cool cotton of Scott's dress shirt again her bare skin made Jean gasp in pleasure. 

"You're overdressed," Jean murmured against his chest. "And I'm going to get make-up all over your shirt," she added with a giggle as she pulled back and saw the smudges already appearing. 

"Believe me, I couldn't care less about the make-up," he reassured her with a grin as he reached up and started unbuttoning his shirt. Jean helped, tugging the shirt tails out of his pants and starting on the buttons from the bottom. He kicked off his shoes, and Jean undid his pants. She lowered the zipper with an impish grin, and used her telekinesis to pull his pants down so that they were pooled on the floor with her dress. 

"That comes in handy," he teased, tapping her temple lightly before leaning in to reclaim her lips. They both gasped as bare skin touched bare skin. Scott urged Jean backwards, taking baby steps until her legs met the edge of the bed. Unbalanced, they tumbled onto the bed with a surprised shriek. Jean found herself being crushed beneath Scott, and burst out laughing at their gracelessness. Scott found himself joining in the laughter, shaking his head slowly.

"Well, I guess that's one way of getting into bed," he said, giving her a sheepish grin.

With one last laugh, Jean kissed him. He responded eagerly, kissing her deeply. Their hands roamed each others bodies, over skin and underwear. Jean cupped Scott through the soft cotton of his boxer-briefs, and his kiss turned almost desperate. He clutched her hip convulsively, then slowly drew his hand forward and down until his palm rested between her thighs. She started at the unfamiliar touch and fought back a cry of pleasure when he moved his hand over the crotch of her panties, stroking her through the thin fabric. He could feel her trembling.

"Are you scared?" he asked in a low voice.

"A little," Jean admitted shyly. "Are you?"

Scott regarded her for a moment before smiling. "Terrified, actually," he told her with a chuckle. 

"Well, I guess we'll just have to figure out how to make this less scary," she replied, and resumed kissing him. 

This time there were no interruptions, no second thoughts, no next times. Passion increased, underwear was shed, and bodies were shyly explored. Never breaking their kiss, Jean gasped into Scott's open mouth as he brought her to release with loving strokes of his fingers.

Their joining was awkward at first, and Jean sucked in a sharp breath at the initial discomfort.

"You ok?" Scott whispered through gritted teeth, fighting the urge to move. 

"Just give me a second," she pleaded in a tight voice. Scott kissed her, hoping it would help her relax. After a long minute, she shifted her hips experimentally, and Scott groaned.

"Ok," she whispered and reclaiming his lips.

It took them some time to find their rhythm, but they finally synchronized. Scott tried to go slowly, tried to take Jean over the peak with him, but couldn't wait. He gasped Jean's name then collapsed onto her, breathing heavily. She stoked his back soothingly, murmuring words of love while he recovered. 

"I love you so much," Scott said softly, kissing her. "I'm so sorry. Are you ok? I'm sorry. You didn't…." he began, brow furrowed as he searched her face.

"No," she admitted, knowing what he meant. "Most women can't like that. I did before though, and it was wonderful."

A pleased smile flashed briefly across his face, but then the frown returned. "I know you did, but still. Do you want me to….?"

"You're very sweet," she smiled warmly and kissed him. "But I'm fine, Scott, I promise. I don't need anything else."  

"You're sure?" he asked, still obviously troubled.

"There's no need to beat yourself up over this," Jean told him, peppering his face with kisses. "It's not a big deal. In fact, it's perfectly normal."

"It just doesn't seem right, though," he protested. 

"It's _fine, Scott. That doesn't mean I didn't enjoy it, because I did," she reassured him with a smile. She cupped his face and traced his cheekbone with her thumb. "I love you."_

Jean could tell by the stubborn set of Scott's jaw that he would not be content to accept what he would perceive as defeat, and she feared he might eventually kill them both trying to prove her wrong. She fought back a grin at the thought.

They cleaned themselves up, then climbed back into bed still unclothed. Jean curled up with her head resting on Scott's shoulder, her arm across his chest. He hugged her tightly and kissed the top of her head.

"No regrets?" he asked.

She snuggled against him and hummed. "No regrets. Not a bad Valentine's Day after all, huh?" she replied with a giggle.

Scott laughed. "No complaints at all."

~~

**_Feedback is my equivalent of a Scooby Snack!_**


	22. Chapter 21

**_Chapter 21_**

Something tickling her shoulder slowly roused Jean from sleep. She shifted slightly and made a sleepy protest, hoping the fluttering would stop and she would sink back down into the wonderful dream she'd been having.

A warm chuckle by her ear brought her the rest of the way to consciousness. "Morning," Scott murmured before he continued trailing kisses over her shoulder, her back, her neck – everywhere he could reach without releasing her from his arms.

"Mmmmm...g'morning," she muttered sleepily, her lips curling into a smile as she rolled over in his arms, pressing her chest against his and tangling her legs with his. She grinned when his breath caught at the contact. She opened her eyes and gazed up at him, trying to find his eyes through the dark red lenses of his sleeping goggles.

"How'd you sleep?" she asked.

"Better than I can ever remember," he told her with a crooked grin. "You still ok with everything?"

Jean smiled at him. "Yes, Scott, I'm very ok with everything."

He swooped down and kissed her soundly. Whether he'd intended it or not, that kiss snowballed and passions rose quickly, and they made love for the second time.

"Christ, Jean, you're turning me into an addict," Scott playfully complained some time later as they lay in bed, Jean still sprawled on top of him. He traced lazy circles on her lower back, and she was practically purring in contentment.

"Hi, my name is Scott, and I'm a nymphomaniac," she deadpanned.

"More like a Jeanomaniac," he corrected, and Jean groaned at the bad joke. "I just can't seem to get enough of you."

"So you only want me for the sex now, is that?" Jean teased, quirking an eyebrow at him.

"Pretty much," Scott grinned back at her, fending off a playful blow from her fist. 

Scott's stomach made a point of letting its demands known at that point, grumbling loudly. Jean laughed. "Do you want to order room service?" she asked. "I don't really feel like leaving the room yet."

"Room service sounds perfect," he agreed, releasing Jean. She sat up and looked around for some clothes to slip on; she grabbed Scott's dress shirt off the floor, and shrugged it on before slipping from beneath the covers.

Scott watched her with an appreciative gaze. "That shirt looks so much better on you than it did on me," he told her. She glanced over her shoulder at him and winked, swaying her hips seductively as she crossed the room. 

"I am in _so_ much trouble," Scott chuckled softly to himself as Jean called in their order.

They watched television and kissed lazily as they waited for the food to arrive. "You realize I'm not going to want to spend a night away from you now," Scott murmured against her lips. 

"Hmmmm, I know what you mean. We'll just have to alternate sneaking into each others room after curfew," she agreed impishly. 

"Really?" he asked hopefully, drawing back to look at her.

"No, not really," Jean laughed. "I don't think Professor X would object to weekend sleepovers, though."

"I'll take what I can get."

When a knock sounded at the door, Jean slipped out of Scott's embrace and scrambled out of bed.

"You're not answering the door dressed like that, are you?" Scott asked, scooping her panties up of the floor and dangling them from a finger, his eyebrow quirked in amusement.

She glanced down at herself, still dressed only in Scott's shirt. "Just a second please!" she called as she snatched her underwear from his hand and slipped them on. She stuck her tongue out at him as she headed towards the door.

Jean was blocked by the door when she opened it, but he could hear speaking softly and the clinking of cutlery as she took the tray.

"Oh! Hi, Mom!" she said loudly.

*Not funny,* Scott sent to her.

*Not kidding,* came her slightly panicked reply just as he heard a strangled screech from the corridor.

"Jean Elizabeth! How could you let anyone see you dressed like that?" Scott heard Elaine Grey hiss in a scandalized voice. The next thing he knew Jean and the room service trolley were moving quickly backwards into the room with Elaine close behind, slamming the door shut. Scott grabbed the blankets and made sure his nakedness was completely covered. Elaine's gaze fell on Scott, and the temperature in the room dropped noticeably. He suddenly had a very good idea from whom Jean had inherited her notorious temper.

"Good morning, Mrs. Grey. I hope you'll forgive me if I don't get up," he said dryly. Jean barked out a laugh and quickly brought her hand up to hide her grin.

Spinning on her daughter, she shouted, "For the love of God, where's your sense of decency?"

"Decency?" Jean repeated, not understanding.

"I'm not stupid, Jean, I know very well the two of you have been doing," Elaine snapped.

"So? We're in our own room, Mom. We're not doing anything wrong!"

"You're too young –"

"We're both 18!" Jean yelled back.

"You're still in high school, for god sake!"

"Yes, and until last night we were probably the only virgins left in our graduating class," Jean said snidely.

"How dare you speak to me that way!"

"No, Mother, how dare _you_ barge in here and speak to _us_ like that!"

Fighting the urge to crawl under the bed and hide until the war was over, Scott decided he should finally step in. "Mrs. Grey," he called gently to draw her attention. 

"I don't want to hear it, Scott!" Elaine told him briskly. "Surely Charles doesn't condone this kind of behavior!"

Unclear about to whom the remark had been directed, Jean and Scott exchanged a look.

"Actually, Professor Xavier is quite supportive of our relationship," Scott admitted.

 Elaine obviously hadn't been expecting that response, and she snapped her mouth shut and glared at the two teenagers. Jean put her hands on her hips and stared at her mother defiantly. 

"Mrs. Grey, I love Jean very much," Scott announced in an attempt to appease the older woman. "Jean's the most important person in my life, and I would never do anything to hurt her."

Elaine turned to look at her daughter, as if asking for confirmation. 

"This isn't just a fling, Mom. Scott and I have been best friends since we met, you know that," Jean said. "I love him."

"You're both very young and very foolish," Elaine said coldly. "This so-called _relationship_ will never last, no matter what you may think." She spun on her heel and stormed out of the room. 

"Ladies and gentlemen, my mother the bitch," Jean muttered as she turned towards Scott.

"No shit," Scott agreed with a derisive snort.

"You know," Jean said slowly as she wandered over to the bed, "just to spite her, we're going to have to stay together until the day we die." 

Scott laughed, all the tension he'd been feeling suddenly evaporating. "How did you grow up to be so…_normal_?"

"'Normal' is a matter of opinion," Jean smirked. "But you're forgetting that I escaped her evil clutches when I was eight. I had to slip into a two-year coma to get away from her, but it worked. She's had very little affect on me since the Professor took me in."

"Remind me to thank him when we get home," he grinned.

~~

****

**_Show me the feedback! (I can't hear you!) Show! Me! The FEEDBACK!_**

**_*Jen clears her throat and breaks into song*  "Weeeeeeeeeelll! Jean's mom's a bitch, she's a great big bitch, she's the biggest bitch in the whole wide world! She's a stupid bitch, if there ever was a bitch, she's a bitch to all the boys and girls!"  *Jen pauses when she notices the looks of confusion*  Oh, come on! Don't tell me you don't know the Kyle's Mom is a Bitch_ song from __****South****Park****_?! It's a classic, people, a classic! Anyhow, this is the song that popped into my head as I was writing that scene, so I thought I'd share.  ; )_**


	23. Chapter 22

**_Chapter 22_**

Jean logged into her email account, and her face split into a grin when she saw the name in the "from" field. She double-clicked the message.

**

To: jgrey@xavier.edu

From: grey_kyle@student.bu.edu

Subject: You go girl!

Hey cuz!

I'm seriously annoyed that you guys left without saying goodbye yesterday, but considering the mood your Mommy Dearest was in when I last saw her, I can't say I blame you for sneaking out. Shit, I can't remember the last time I saw her freaking out like that! She was madder than the time I dared you to try to levitate her good crystal....btw, did she ever get it all replaced? eg

Thought you might want to know that she told your Dad everything - which I just happened to overhear...completely by accident, you understand. g Good ole' Uncle John – he seemed to take it a lot better than Elaine had hoped. His reaction was something along the lines of "Well, they're not kids anymore, dear. It was bound to happen sooner or later." and "Scott's a fine young man, and he makes Jean very happy." I may be paraphrasing, but you get the general idea. He wasn't pulling out the shotgun, at any rate.

Maybe Elaine was just pissed that she wasn't getting as much action as either of her little girls were the night before. **shudders** Ugh – there's a mental image I don't need: Elaine and John making the beast with two backs. Must go lobotomize myself now....

Anyhow, my little slut puppy, veg I just wanted to I'd let you know what I knew. 

TTFN,

Kyle

P.S. Darcy and I agree – you and Scott are revoltingly perfect for each other. We also think Scott's a hottie. g

**

Jean laughed and hit the "reply" button.

**

To: grey_kyle@student.bu.edu

From: jgrey@xavier.edu

Subject: Re: You go girl!

Hey you,

First of all, no, my mother never did get all her crystal replaced – in case you hadn't noticed, she still shoots me a dirty look and sighs VERY loudly every time she has to use the new crystal at family gatherings. So yeah, thanks for that. *glares*

I'm not surprised Mom went running to Dad – but I must admit I'm surprised Dad didn't get more upset. I know he likes Scott, but you'd think he'd be a bit more interested in defending the honor of his youngest daughter, wouldn't you? *frowns* Oh well – guess I shouldn't complain.

And excuse me, "slut puppy"?? Next time I see you I'm going to hurt you – badly. 

I'm glad you and Darcy liked Scott – paws off, though, he's all mine!  ;-)  For the record, Scott really liked you guys, too. It's just a little mutual admiration society, isn't it? *gags*

Talk to you soon!

Jean

**

She took some time to respond to another couple of emails, ones she'd been meaning to reply to for a while. Once Jean was caught up on her correspondence, she did a final check for new messages, and saw that Kyle had already emailed her back.

**

To: jgrey@xavier.edu

From: grey_kyle@student.bu.edu

Subject: tsk tsk!

I'm glad you and Darcy liked Scott – paws off, though, he's all mine!  ;-)   For the record, Scott really liked you guys, too. It's just a little mutual admiration society, isn't it? *gags*

Jeannie, Jeannie, Jeannie – now that you're in a *ahem* "serious" relationship you'd better learn how to get that gag reflex under control. I'll email you some tips! vbeg

K.

**

Jean choked on a laugh, even as her eye bugged out in shock. Shaking her head, she logged off, silently vowing to deal with Kyle later.

*****

Jean knocked on Scott's door before pushing her way into this room. She noticed as she opened the door opened that Scott had very quickly snapped his laptop shut, and was now looking at her rather guiltily. 

"Hey," he said, in what she was sure he hoped was a casual tone.

"What were you doing?" Jean asked in amusement, one eyebrow quirked.

"Nothing – just research for a paper I'm working on," he answered quickly. She smirked. Hands down, Scott was the world's worst liar.

"Really? What's the paper about?"

"Uh, it's for...um, history," he stammered, and Jean laughed loudly. 

"That's the best you could come up with?"

He sighed, knowing that the ruse was up. 

"Seriously, Scott, what were you doing?"

"I told you, research."

"About....?"

"Stuff," he said evasively.

Her eyes narrowed. "Why were you trying to hide it? Were you surfing porn sites again?"

"What?! Of course not!" Scott replied with an outraged shriek. "And I told you, that was Evan, _not me – he borrowed my computer while his was being upgraded."_

Jean bit her lip to keep from grinning. "Then what were you just looking at?"

Defeated, Scott sighed. "Fine. If you really want to know, see for yourself," he told her as he stood and motioned for her to take his seat in front of the computer.

She flipped up the monitor and choked out a laugh. "You're reading up on the female orgasm?"

Scott crossed his arms defensively and glared at her, even as his cheeks flushed red in embarrassment. "As a matter of fact, yes. I don't buy into your theory that women can't climax during intercourse."

"I never said women _can't_, I just said most don't, there's a difference," Jean clarified, trying very hard to keep the smile off her face.

"Whatever. The point is, I was trying to figure out how to make sure you enjoy it as much as I do."

Suddenly very ashamed of teasing him, Jean stood and moved into Scott's arms. "I can't believe you would go to all that trouble," she admitted, hugging him tightly. "You're probably the sweetest man on the planet. You know that, right?"

She felt him shrug, and his arms tightened around her. "It just doesn't seem right, that's all. If there's anything I can do to make it better for you, I want to know what it is."

"So....did you learn anything?" she asked, only half joking, pulling back to look up at him with a small smile.

"Maybe a thing or two. Want to see if they work?" he asked in a husky voice before kissing her.

"It's still early, Scott. What if someone hears us....?" Her words trailed off as Scott cupped her ass with both hands and pulled her against him. Jean gasped.

"We'll be quiet," he whispered.

"What if someone comes looking for us?" she asked, her voice breathy.

"Then we'll pretend we're not here," he said simply, his hands moving up to grasp the hem of her shirt. He quickly pulled it off, and resumed kissing her. 

"But what if –"

"Stop worrying," he chastised softly as he unhooked her bra and slid the straps down her arms.

"Ok," she relented in a whisper, allowing Scott to lead her over to his bed. With two quick telekinetic flicks she locked the door and turned off the light.

Afterwards Jean snuggled into Scott's embrace and made a little contented sound. 

"You're awfully pleased with yourself, aren't you?" she said softly, a smile on her lips.

"Shouldn't I be?" he chuckled.

Jean just buried her head in Scott's neck and sighed.

"You're not falling asleep, are you?" he murmured several minutes later.

"Nope," she replied, her voice barely above a whisper.

"I thought it was the guy who was supposed to fall asleep after sex?" Scott chuckled.

"I'm not falling asleep, I just need a little nap," Jean clarified, closing her eyes.

Her "little nap" lasted until Scott's alarm went off the next morning.

~~

**_Please send feedback – my ego needs stroking! And no, I'm not referring to a frozen waffle._**


	24. Chapter 23

**_Chapter 23_**

The Institute was snowbound. A massive storm system had settled over New York state and had been dumping snow for going on four days; school had been canceled and all roads were closed. The snow showed no signs of stopping, and Ororo refused to give in to the students' pleas to step in, insisting that nature must be allowed to run its course. 

So the students were left to their own devices, and entertaining activities like board and computer games were already starting to lose their appeal. Boredom was setting in, and no good could come of that. Bored teenagers meant trouble, namely pranks and gossip; gossip was pastime of choice for the moment.

"But how can you be so sure, man? You catch 'em in the act, or something?" 

Jean was walking past the kitchen when she overheard Evan's question. She paused mid-stride and back tracked so she could listen in; she had a bad feeling about this conversation.

"_Nein_. All you have to do is watch them when they're together," Kurt replied knowingly. "It's the little things that give them away."

"How long do you figure they've been goin' at it?" Evan prodded.

"Only a few weeks. Since the wedding, actually," Kurt said, and Jean felt her cheeks burning in embarrassment. Had she and Scott been that obvious? "They've been smiling at each other more, they've been more physical than usual – little touches, that kind of thing. It's like they're more comfortable with each other now."

"Ah'm sorry, but when were they ever _un_comfortable with each other?" Rogue asked with a snort. "Jean's one o' the most touchy-feely people Ah've ever met. So that doesn't mean anythin'."

Jean leaned her hip against the wall and folded her arms across her chest, trying not to chuckle at Rogue's observation. Scott suddenly appeared at Jean's side, and she glanced up just as he opened his mouth to speak.

*Shhh!* she ordered before he could say a word.

*Why?* he asked in confusion.

*They're talking about us.* 

"Yeah, and they both, like, keep disappearing for, like, hours at a time," Kitty pointed out. "And when they reappear they almost seem to act, like, _too_ normal, y'know? As if they're trying too hard to make it totally seem like nothing's going on."

*I told you we weren't fooling anyone,* Jean sent to Scott, smirking at him.

"But that doesn't mean they're doin' it," Evan said. "Besides, do you really think Scott would still be so uptight if he was gettin' laid on a regular basis?"

Scott's mouth opened in silent outrage, but he quickly snapped it shut. Jean's eyebrows furrowed in annoyance, even as she fought back a laugh.

"Don't be crude, Porcupine," Rogue scolded. "B'sides, Ah think he's been in a better mood than usual lately."

"Why don't you two just _ask_ Jean? Y'know, have a little girl talk?" Evan suggested. 

"Ugh, are you, like, kidding? Have you ever seen Jean, like, really pissed off? 

"No," came the admission.

"She's a red head, and she, like, totally has the temper to match. There's, like, no way I'm gonna risk being on the receiving end!" Kitty exclaimed.

"All right, jeez! It was just a suggestion. Kurt, just ask Scott. He'd tell you, wouldn't he?"

Kurt laughed. "No way, man. I'm sure enough. I don't need to risk my life asking him."

*C'mon, I've heard enough,* Scott told Jean, tugging gently on her arm.

They were silent until the reached the library. After making sure they were alone, Scott finally exploded.

"I can't believe them!" he shouted, pounding fireplace mantle in frustration. "Aren't we entitled to a private life?"

"Oh, come on, Scott. You know how hard it is to keep anything a secret around here," Jean said calmly. Knowing Scott would fume for a few minutes before being ready to discuss the situation rationally, Jean sat back to wait. She flopped into her favorite arm chair, her legs dangling over one side.

"Why aren't you upset?" Scott finally asked her, pacing restlessly.

Jean shrugged. "I am, but after my mother, they're not so bad. She called the Professor, you know, and told him what happened at the wedding."

"Everything?"

"Pretty much, I think. From what Professor X said, she gave him hell for 'encouraging immoral behavior' between his students," she said with a wicked grin. 

"Oh, man. Your mother sure is a piece of work. What was his response?"

"That he had complete faith in our ability to act responsibly, that he trusted us implicitly, and that she shouldn't worry."

"I'm sure that went over well," Scott snorted.

"Oh, I don't know. The Professor has always seemed to know exactly how to appease her when she goes off on one of her rants. She didn't withdraw me from the Institute and order me to come home, so that's a good sign."

Scott stopped short and turned back to face her. "Did you really think she would?"

"With my mother, anything's a possibility," Jean said with a sigh. "She was mad enough, so it wouldn't have surprised me. But I know the Professor would have fought her on it, and we both know he would have won."

"I don't know what I'd do if you left," Scott admitted quietly. "I don't think I could do any of this on my own."

Jean quirked an eyebrow knowingly, and flashed a mischievous grin. Catching onto her interpretation, he chuckled.

"Not _that_. I had enough practice 'playing solo' before we started sleeping together," he admitted sheepishly. "I meant being an Xman, dealing with the responsibilities of leading the team. Your support helps to keep me sane. _You_ keep me sane."

"Guess I'm not doing a very good job," she quipped, then used her TK to stop the book Scott had lobbed at her head. She grinned. "My _real job is to help you lighten up and not take everything so damn seriously."_

"Then I think the others would say that you're _definitely not doing a very good job," Scott replied with a smirk._

The library doors creaked open, and Amara's head poked in through the doors.

"Oh, good! Scott, the phone's for you," she told him with a smile.

"Thanks. Do you know who it is?" he asked, a bit surprised. He didn't get that many phone calls.

The smile disappeared from Amara's face and she glanced from Scott to Jean. "Um, yeah. She said her name was 'Kimberly'," she said quickly before ducking out of the room.

Jean said nothing, but her eyebrow arched as she glanced at Scott.

"I'll be right back," Scott said, oblivious to Jean's questioning look. 

Jean was surprised by the pang of jealousy she felt as she watched Scott jog out of the library. 

~~

****

**_*Jen gets down on her knees and begs* PLEASE SEND FEEDBACK! I'm almost done the final chapter, and I need inspiration to finish!_**


	25. Chapter 24

**_Chapter 24_**

Jean stared into the fireplace, not having moved from her chair after Scott left the library. She was so lost in thought that she didn't hear the door open, nor did she notice the figure plop down in the chair next to her.

"Hiya, darling'." Jean jumped at the sound of Logan's voice; he chuckled and she blushed.  

"Hi," she said. "Sorry, I didn't hear you come in."

"Yeah, I suspected ya might be a little distracted." At her questioning glance he elaborated. "Amara was making a big production of tellin' everyone 'bout Scott's phone call, and that ya didn't seem too impressed."

Jean sighed, and let her head drop backwards in defeat. "I'm turning into an irrational green-eyed monster, Logan. I'm freaking out because Scott got a phone call from a girl. That's not normal behavior for me, dammit! What's wrong with me?"

"Nothin's wrong with ya. You've got no reason to be jealous, though. Trust me, Jeannie, there's no way in hell Scott would ever cheat on ya. It's just not in him. He'd break up with ya first."

"Jeez, thanks. I feel so much better now," she said dryly.

Logan laughed. "Oh, come on – the kid's crazy about ya and ya know it. He's not going anywhere anytime soon."

"I repeat, thanks."

"OK, Jeannie, what's this really about? It's not about some stupid phone call."

"I hate it that you know me so well," she muttered. She swiveled in the chair so that she sat forward, elbows on her knees and hands scrubbing her face in frustration. "I've been worrying about what will happen when Scott and I start college. I'm worried that being apart will ruin everything. We're so happy right now, and things are going so perfectly…I just don't want everything to get all screwed up. We'll be apart 90% of the time – we'll hardly see each other. I'm worried that he'll get tired of dating someone he never gets to see, and he'll leave me for someone else. I don't know what I'd do if that happened." 

"He's not that kinda guy. I can see the two of ya stayin' together forever. And I'm not just sayin' that, either. If I didn't think ya'd last, ya know damn well I'd tell ya."

"I know, I know. I just can't help worrying."

"Darlin', just say the word an' I'll gut 'im fer ya," Logan offered with a wolfish grin. 

Jean laughed. "Thanks, Logan. I think I'll try to deal with it myself for now. But I'll let you know."   

***** 

Unable to sit still after her chat with Logan, Jean strolled through the mansion with no real destination in mind. As she approached the kitchen it became clear that the conversation she and Scott had overheard earlier was still in full swing. She stood outside the door, listening intently.

"Hey, how long do you guys think they'll stay together?" Kitty asked in a conspiratorial tone. 

"You think they're having problems?" Evan asked.

"No, I just mean, like, it could be hard for them, when they start college and stuff," Kitty clarified. "Jean's going to Columbia, and I heard Scott say something about Manhattanville. They'll never see each other."

_God, haven't they gotten tired of talking about us yet?_ Jean wondered silently, thoroughly annoyed. 

"Manhattanville, huh? I was thinking about checking that place out when it's time for me to go to college," Evan admitted, surprising everyone. 

"Why?" 

"It's a chick school, man! Almost three-quarters of the students are girls." Jean could hear the leer in the boy's voice. "I wonder if that's why Scott chose it? He'll be beating the babes off with a stick – if he wants to, that is."

Worrying her bottom lip between her teeth, Jean let that information sink in. In the back of her mind she'd known that about Manhattanville, but she hadn't considered the possible implications. Jean's jealousy and insecurity flared anew, churning in her stomach and making her feel sick.

"You think Scott will break up with Jean so he can play the field?" Kurt asked in disbelief. "This is _Scott we're talking about! He would never do anything like that."_

"Dude, think about it," Evan defended himself. "Scott was obsessed with Jean for a long time before they got together, right? Well, now that he has her there's no way the reality will live up to the fantasy. He'll also find out that there are an awful lot of ladies out there worth getting to know, if you know what I mean. So, why tie yourself down so young? I give them 'til Halloween, tops."

"Not a chance," Kurt said calmly. "I don't see them ever breaking up." 

"If anything happens, I think it will be Jean, like, totally leaving Scott," Kitty argued. "She'll find herself some really cute, ultra rich future doctor type, and Scott will be, like, history."

"No way," Rogue spoke up. "Y'all know as well as Ah do that they're in it for the long haul. They'll get married, have a coupla freakishly perfect kids, and live happily ever after."

"Y'wanna put some money on that?" Evan asked. 

"Oh, I'm in!" Kurt called.

Jean couldn't listen to anymore, and fighting back tears of frustration, she silently fled from the corridor.

*****

When Scott found her, Jean was sitting cross-legged on a blanket on the dock, a travel mug of what he assumed was hot chocolate in her hands. Huge fluffy snowflakes were settling in her hair as she gazed out at the lake, a far-off expression on her face. The crunch of his boots on the snow alerted her to his presence, and she smiled.

"Hey," she called softly. 

"Do you want to be alone?" Scott asked uncertainly.

"No, no," Jean quickly assured him. He smiled in relief and joined her on the dock, sitting next to her. She offered him her mug and he took a sip of the warm, sweet drink.

"Did you spike this with Bailey's?" he asked suspiciously.

Jean grinned. "Just a shot – for flavor."

"You're such a rebel," he muttered with a smirk before taking another sip. "I looked for you in the library after I got off the phone, but you'd disappeared." 

"I didn't feel like staying there," she told him with a shrug. "So, who's Kimberly?"

Scott chuckled. "She's in my trig class; she's having a lot of trouble with the material, so the teacher asked me to help her out. Right now she's working on an extra credit assignment and needed me to walk her trough some of the problems." Jean nodded, feeling very silly.

"You weren't _jealous_, were you?" he teased.

"Maybe a little," she admitted in a soft voice.

Scott laughed and hugged her. "Believe me, Jean, you have absolutely nothing to worry about. I love you, so just get that through your thick skull." She stuck her tongue out at him and he laughed.

"It's still snowing pretty hard. What're you doing out here, anyway?" Scott asked after a few minutes. 

"Just thinking."

"About anything in particular?"

"Oh, life, the universe, and everything..." she told him with a half-smile.

"The answer is 42," Scott supplied, grinning. Jean laughed, pleased that he'd caught the reference.

They sat in silence for a long time, Jean leaning gently against Scott's side. "Do you want to talk about whatever it is that's bugging you?" Scott finally asked.

Jean sighed. "I'm just in a contemplative mood."

"Ok, so what're you _contemplating_?"

"The future. College. Us."

Scott fought the panic that seized him at her words. "Oh?" 

"I'm starting to reconsider Columbia," she admitted.

That wasn't what he'd been expecting. "But why? You've been so excited."

Jean was silent, weighing her words. "I think going to Columbia would be a mistake. We planned to go to college together, so it's completely unfair of me to go back on that."

"You're being silly. Go to Columbia, become a world-famous geneticist, and help the world to see that mutants aren't freaks. Make us all proud."

"But –"

"C'mon, Jean, what's this really about? We both know there's no question you're going to Columbia, so what's really bugging you?"

Another long silence fell between them. "I'm scared," she admitted in a small voice. "I'm scared of how things will change between us once we're done high school. We'll both be so busy with college that we'll hardly get to see each other. I don't want to lose what we have." She paused and took a deep breath. "I don't want to lose _you."_

Scott sighed and pulled her into his arms. Jean appeared so confident, so self-assured, that hardly anyone other than he realized how insecure she could be. "Jean, there's no way you're ever going to lose me," he told her firmly. "I waited a long time for us to get together – do you really think I'll let you go now?"

Jean sniffled softly, and it broke his heart. "I don't know. You're not…disappointed at all, are you? In me? You say you wanted us to be together for a long time, I'm just scared that maybe I can't measure up to whatever expectations you might have had. I want you to be happy –"

Scott interrupted her by cupping her chin in his hand, making her look up at him. "Jean, I've never been happier than I've been in the past few months. I love you, and I always will, ok?"

"It's easy to say that now. But what happens if things change in the future? Manhattanville's student population is 70% female, Scott. That's quite the opportunity for an active social life. You could easily meet someone new."

The fact that she would even think such a thing annoyed him. "And you won't have the same opportunity at Columbia? Come on, Jean, we both know there aren't that many women in the sciences – you'll be surrounded by guys all the time," he said, trying to keep the irritation out of his voice. "How do I know you won't decide you'd rather have a _normal_ boyfriend again?"

"I didn't date Duncan because he was _normal_, just like I'm not dating you because you're a mutant. I'm dating you because you're _you, and I love you."_

Scott pulled her close again. "Exactly. And I love _you_. I'm not interested in finding someone else, ok? So stop worrying. We'll make time for each other. Besides, I've actually been thinking that Manhattanville might not be for me."

"Really?" she asked, surprised.

"I was thinking it might be fun to go to school in the big city. NYU is looking like a pretty good option," he told her with a smile.

"NYU? You're sure?"

"Yup. I met with the school counselor last week, and between my SAT scores and my current grades, he's confident I won't have any trouble getting in."

Jean grinned and hugged him tightly. He laughed and kissed the top of her head. "I take it you're happy about this?"

"Very. We still won't be on the same campus, but at least we'll be in the same city – just a short subway ride away."

"We'll be able to commute together, which will mean a guaranteed three hours of 'together time' every day. And if you're game, I'd really like to talk to the Professor about sharing a room once the fall semester starts – put the rumors to rest once and for all," he teased. Jean chuffed out a laugh, and Scott smiled. "We'll stay together, I'll make sure of it."

They sat in silence for a long moment, exchanging sweet, gentle kisses. Scott finally pulled back and met her eyes. "We'll be fine, Jean. I love you, and I won't let anything come between us – ever. I promise."

She leaned into his embrace and reveled in his warmth, her fears melting away. Smiling, Jean slipped her arms around him. She believed him. They _would_ be fine. A promise from Scott Summers was worth its weight in gold. 

~~

**_Go directly to the "Review" button at the bottom of your screen. Do not pass go, do not collect $200. And do not go on to the Epilogue until you've sent feedback! Please…? *puppy dog eyes*_**

**P.S._ In case I'm truly showing my age with that particular reference, _**_Life, the Universe, and Everything** is a book by Douglas Adams. It's part of the **The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy** trilogy, which was the series to read when I was younger – don't know how popular it is now, though. According to **_**_Adams_****_, "42" is the answer to life, the universe and everything._**


	26. Epilogue

**_Epilogue_**

"Jean," Scott whispered gently. "Come on, hon, wake up."

Jean grumbled and rolled away from him. He chuckled.

"Jean, wake up."

"If you don't lie down and go back to sleep I will hurt you in ways you never dreamed possible," she growled sleepily, not opening her eyes.

He laughed again. "Come on, get up."

"Why?" she whined, pulling the covers up around her chin.

"It's snowing," Scott told her, and she could hear the smile in his voice.

*****

They strolled across the snow-covered expanse of the grounds arm-in-arm, treasuring the solitude. Over the past five years it had become rare for them to find a quiet moment to spend together. Now that Scott was teaching at the Institute full-time, and Jean was deep in the throes of medical school, the opportunities seemed more and more fleeting. 

Jean paid little attention to where they were walking, so didn't notice that Scott was gradually leading them towards the lake. When they emerged through the trees, Jean stopped in her tracks. On the dock stood dozens of cylinders of crystal-clear ice, each holding a large pillar candle. The flame glowed through the ice, creating a magical aura. The flames hissed and jumped as snowflakes drifted too close.

Scott made a mental note to commend Bobby on the quality of his work the next time he saw him.

"Scott, what....?" Jean asked in bemusement.

Scott just smiled and led her out onto the candle and snow-covered dock. "A long time ago, you told me that the world was different when it snowed – that it was somehow better," Scott said softly, smiling as he remembered the long-ago conversation. "Well, I think it's _you who makes the world better. You make _my_ world a better place, and I don't ever want to lose that feeling." _

Grasping both her hands, Scott slowly bent down on one knee. Jean inhaled a shaky breath, and felt tears welling in her eyes.

"We've been through a lot since we first met, and the one thing that I've always been able to count on is you and your friendship. I'd be lost without you, Jean. You make me happier than I ever dared dream possible." She could feel his hand trembling slightly as he reached into his coat pocket and pulled out a small box and flipped back the lid revealing a ring. "Please say you'll marry me," he whispered, his voice cracking with emotion.

Jean dropped to her knees opposite Scott and cupped his face with both her hands. "How could you even question it?" she replied, smiling through the tears that were now flowing freely down her cheeks. "You're my life, Scott. I love you more than anything." She leaned towards him and captured his lips in a kiss so sweet they both held their breath.

"Is that a 'yes'?" Scott asked softly when they parted.

Jean laughed. "Yes, that's a 'yes'," she confirmed with a dazzling smile. "Yes, yes, yes, yes, yes." She punctuated each 'yes' with a kiss.

Scott took the ring out of the box and slid it onto the ring finger of her left hand, then wrapped themselves in each others arms. They remained like that for a long time, kneeling on the dock, the glow of the candles illuminating the night. 

All around them the snow continued to fall, dancing in silent celebration.

**_~END~_**

**_To quote my favorite fanfic author, "I'm a shameless feedback slut!"_**

**_Author's Notes: Ok, kids – that's all she wrote! Stick a fork in the story, it's done! _**

**_I hope you enjoyed reading Snow_ as much as I enjoyed writing it. This was only my second attempt at writing fan fiction, and I honestly didn't think it would turn into such a long story. Nor did I expect such an incredible response from the readers! I've said it once, and I'll say it again – your feedback and reviews are what kept me motivated. THANK YOU!!!__**

**_I don't have another story in the works yet – I'm waiting for inspiration to strike. I hope to start writing a new Jean/Scott-centered fic soon, possibly another pre-series story along the lines of First Sight_. I just need to come up with an idea, so bear with me, and if you have any suggestions/ideas/requests, feel free to drop me a note! That said, I could be open to writing a sequel to _Snow_ – or, if not an actual sequel then at least a couple of "college years" stand-alone stories (not much point in an honest-to-god sequel if you already know they get engaged). It would depend on whether or not there was enough reader interest – so if you'd like to see more stories in the _Snow__ universe, please let me know!_**

**_A special THANKS to Julie and eternalsailorsolarwind for putting up with my constant whining and complaining, and for being great sounding boards and beta-readers. Your encouragement and support helped immensely! Just consider yourselves warned: because you were so great, I'll be calling on you both again when I start my next fic!  : )_**


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